← Catlin, George

The image depicts a night-time riverscape with a view from the bank of a river. The horizon is in the upper third of the painting, where the river meets a line of trees fading into the night. The brushstrokes give an impressionistic texture to the foliage and water, creating movement and depth. The color palette consists of deep blues and blacks, with a red-orange glow near a light source by the river bank illuminating nearby vegetation. A canoe with figures moves on the water near the light, heading towards the dim shorelines. Dark clouds loom in the upper portion, emphasizing the nocturnal setting.

Spearing by Torchlight

Catlin, George · American

1854/1869

Medium
oil on card mounted on paperboard
Classification
Painting
Period
1851 to 1875
Image size
10906 × 8503px

Description

The image depicts a night-time riverscape with a view from the bank of a river. The horizon is in the upper third of the painting, where the river meets a line of trees fading into the night. The brushstrokes give an impressionistic texture to the foliage and water, creating movement and depth. The color palette consists of deep blues and blacks, with a red-orange glow near a light source by the river bank illuminating nearby vegetation. A canoe with figures moves on the water near the light, heading towards the dim shorelines. Dark clouds loom in the upper portion, emphasizing the nocturnal setting.

Rights & Source

Open access image from the National Gallery of Art, released under its open access program. Metadata via the NGA Open Data Program (CC0).

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