Ernst Haeckel was an important 19th-century biologist, especially in describing the relations and connections between different organisms. He was, in fact, inventor of the term ecology--the study of nature's "household." For his 1879 book The…
Under a pale sky, we look uphill along a crooked line of split-rail fences and melting snow toward a pair of dormant trees and farm buildings. Bolton’s close attention to Catskill landscapes is apparent in his treatment of patterns in melting snow;…
This complex still life plays with how the natural world makes its way into artistic forms and representation. A grouping of fruit at upper left is echoed in the fabric’s shapes at lower right, as with the bell pepper’s distinctive shape. A pear at…
The focus of the still life painting is a vase of multicolored peonies. Spector shows skillful creation of the 3D geometric forms of the flower petals and vase, with a light source coming from the bottom right. The background is unusual in its…
Portions of the stone bridge depicted here date to 1760, when a wooden structure over Catskill Creek (in Greene County) collapsed; the rest was completed in 1792 and remains standing today. Lomoff renders virtually no straight lines in his painting,…
A pair of woodcocks is pictured somewhat outside of their preferred grassy habitat, beside a cozy opening in a tree trunk. Although they often are associated with spring, the presence of freshly fallen leaves seems to indicate a moment just prior to…