A Peaceful Valley

Powell depicts a calm, rural landscape, with a flowing stream that starts in the foreground and curves across the canvas. The colors of the work become hazier, and brushstrokes become more organic as the eye moves from the foreground to the background, utilizing the technique of atmospheric perspective. The waters appear still, with bits of rock and greenery peeking out from the surface, providing more visual interest to the foreground. On the left side of the canvas, closer to the middle ground, there is a patch of land with foliage and a cluster of trees. consisting mostly of green, with bits of warmer colors dispersed throughout the bushes. The trunks and limbs of the trees are dark, creating a contrast against the soft green of the leaves. On the right side of the painting, another patch of land sits. There is less contrast in this area, as it is approaching closer to the background. On this side, we can see the figure of what appears to be a farmer and a goat-driven wagon. Due to the loose strokes used to create these figures, they almost seem to blend into the surrounding landscape. The painting embodies its title, as while it depicts a scene that can be interpreted as a farmer doing his job, it is simultaneously calm and serene. It reflects Powell’s later life, when he would be creating works for the WPA. He was older, and instead of traveling and doing grander things as he had in his younger years, he had more or less settled down. The farmer in the background may represent Powell himself, as while he is still working, the life he lives is much calmer than it may have been in the past, and this difference in style between this painting and some of his older works further shows this.

About the Artist

Powell was an American painter and muralist known primarily for his atmospheric landscape paintings. Born in Van Wert County, Ohio, he developed an early interest in art and eventually pursued formal training. Over the course of his career, he became associated with American landscape painting, particularly the natural scenery of the northeastern United States. His career spanned from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, meaning he was quite far along in his art career when he began creating works under the Federal Art Program. Powell studied at several notable art institutions, including the San Francisco School of Design, the St. Louis School of Fine Art, and the Académie Julian in Paris. This combination of American and European education exposed him to a variety of artistic traditions and techniques, which influenced his approach to painting. His works often featured carefully observed natural environments such as forests, mountains, streams, and farmland, of which he based on places he’s been. Earlier in his career, he tended to paint grand landscapes of the West. He made paintings of National Parks, such as his work “Going to Sun Mountain, Glacier Park” and “Lincoln Peak, Glacier National Park.” In addition, he also made works encapsulating the expanse of the Grand Canyon. His career in his later years consisted of him painting more calm, rural landscapes, as he wasn’t traveling as much. His art was praised, particularly for how he composed the subjects of his work and his usage of color. Throughout his career, Powell lived and worked in both New York City and Dover Plains, New York. In addition to creating easel paintings, he also produced murals for public and religious buildings. Some of these murals were installed in churches in New York as well as in Bowne Hospital in Poughkeepsie, which was a sanatorium much like the New Deal Museum on Mt. Morris. Powell was active in the American art community and belonged to several professional organizations. He was elected an academician of the National Academy of Design in 1921 and remained associated with the institution for the rest of his life. He was also a member of the Salmagundi Club, the New York Watercolor Club, and was a founder of Allied Artists of America. During his career, he exhibited widely and received multiple awards for his work. Powell continued painting well into his late years and died on July 15th, 1956, in Poughkeepsie, New York. Today, his paintings of scenic landscapes remain part of museum collections and art auctions, preserving his contribution to American landscape painting.