Catskill Waterfall
Catskill Waterfall
1859
John Frederick Kensett
American, 1816–1872
Oil on canvas
18 1/8 x 24 1/16 in. (46 x 61.1 cm)
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.
1965.43
Yale University Art Gallery, John Hill Morgan, B.A. 1893, LL.B. 1896, Hon. 1929, Fund