United States

The critic Sadakichi Hartmann lyrically described the work of Martin: “he makes use of landscapes to express his own bitterness and weariness; he contemplated nature with a dreaming sadness, and created groves and mountain recesses in which he could hide his melancholy broodings. But he was too genuine a poet of the brush to remain solely subjective.” Martin’s atmospheric landscapes, like this moody coastal New England view, convey his emotional sense of place.

The critic Sadakichi Hartmann lyrically described the work of Martin: “he makes use of landscapes to express his own bitterness and weariness; he contemplated nature with a dreaming sadness, and created groves and mountain recesses in which he could hide his melancholy broodings. But he was too genuine a poet of the brush to remain solely subjective.” Martin’s atmospheric landscapes, like this moody coastal New England view, convey his emotional sense of place.

In Rhapsody, the central cluster of swaying trees is a riotous blaze of purple and plum tones, silhouetted against a glowing orange sky and behind a foreground foliage screen of green. Despite the pulsating energies generated by the combination of vibrant hues, the painting exudes a kind of calm, as color and form balance one another in perfect harmony.

In Rhapsody, the central cluster of swaying trees is a riotous blaze of purple and plum tones, silhouetted against a glowing orange sky and behind a foreground foliage screen of green. Despite the pulsating energies generated by the combination of vibrant hues, the painting exudes a kind of calm, as color and form balance one another in perfect harmony.

Keith’s friendship with the naturalist John Muir enhanced his view of nature as inspiration. Muir noted that the painter should be true to the specific details of a given place, “observing a devout truthfulness to Nature yet removing veils of detail, and laying bare the very hearts and souls of landscapes.” Among the scenic places that Keith visited frequently was Marin County, which provides the setting for this bright, bucolic scene.

Keith’s friendship with the naturalist John Muir enhanced his view of nature as inspiration. Muir noted that the painter should be true to the specific details of a given place, “observing a devout truthfulness to Nature yet removing veils of detail, and laying bare the very hearts and souls of landscapes.” Among the scenic places that Keith visited frequently was Marin County, which provides the setting for this bright, bucolic scene.

This painting attempts to convey the impression made upon Inness by the partially obscured glow of moonlight on trees and houses. The artist once explained, “The purpose of the painter is simply to reproduce in other minds the impression which a scene has made upon him. . . . [an artwork’s] aim is not to instruct, not to edify, but to awaken an emotion.”

This painting attempts to convey the impression made upon Inness by the partially obscured glow of moonlight on trees and houses. The artist once explained, “The purpose of the painter is simply to reproduce in other minds the impression which a scene has made upon him. . . . [an artwork’s] aim is not to instruct, not to edify, but to awaken an emotion.”

This view of San Quentin State Prison shows California’s oldest and most notorious prison veiled behind a foggy mist. Birk’s landscape documents the transformation of California from a mythical Eden into the home of one of the nation’s largest incarcerated populations. According to Birk, the works in his Prisonation series are “based on the California landscape paintings of the 1880s, the image of California, and the romance of the West and the reality of what the West has become.”

This view of San Quentin State Prison shows California’s oldest and most notorious prison veiled behind a foggy mist. Birk’s landscape documents the transformation of California from a mythical Eden into the home of one of the nation’s largest incarcerated populations. According to Birk, the works in his Prisonation series are “based on the California landscape paintings of the 1880s, the image of California, and the romance of the West and the reality of what the West has become.”