Catskill Waterfall

On view in the American Art before 1900 galleries

 “Of all the studies which relate to the material uni­verse,” wrote one critic in 1850, “there is none . . . which appeals so powerfully to our senses . . . as that of geology.” Here, John Frederick Kensett’s concentra­tion on the rocks reflects the period’s passion for geol­ogy. Tiny flecks of light glint off the rocks, sharpening the details of their crystalline and granite surfaces. The artist’s reverence for nature’s simple nobility imbued the topographical and geological character of each site with such specificity that viewers could eas­ily match painting and place.