What does your eye encounter as it travels through this painting?

Frederic Edwin Church

Frederic Edwin Church was encouraged to pursue his interest in art at a young age. The only student of Thomas Cole, Church favored a detailed realism derived from a close study of nature. Cole taught him to consider the landscape as both a manifestation of God’s creation and a vehicle for the expression of nationalist ideals. Church traveled widely in search of grand panoramic landscapes and natural monuments, creating imaginative and theatrical paintings upon returning to his New York studio.

Here a rainbow arcs seamlessly over a mist-filled gorge, rising above craggy peaks and a humid green jungle. A passing shower sweeps to the left; on the right, the clouds part to reveal a bright blue sky. Church did not provide viewers with any ground to stand on: we are suspended in the air above this magical, fictionalized scene. We can only look down in wonder upon the crashing waterfall, the verdant jungle, and the rocky canyon beneath us.

Medium

Oil on canvas

Credit

Museum purchase, Mildred Anna Williams Collection

Item ID

1970.9

Dimensions

56 1/4 x 84 1/4 in. (142.9 x 214 cm)

Date

1866

Country

United States