
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).