Sidney Plains with the Union of the Susquehanna and Unadilla Rivers

Sidney Plains with the Union of the Susquehanna and Unadilla Rivers

Cropsey, initially trained as an architect, turned to painting in the style of Thomas Cole's sublime renderings of nature. He traveled in the Northeast and Europe, gaining recognition for his increasingly vivid fall hues and more restful settings. Here, we look downstream at the Unadilla River and see elements both of the pastoral--grazing herds at center and front left, split-rail fences, a cozy farmhouse--and of the modern. In the far distance, a small puff of smoke announces an Erie Railroad train traveling toward us: at this scale, it hasn't yet overwhelmed nature's beauty. In the foreground two figures relax (or wait?) alongside the river telegraph wires presumably paralleling the railroad. Its tracks are however carefully cropped out.

Cropsey, Jasper Francis, 1823-1900

1874

Cooper, Ken

Courtesy Los Angeles County Museum of Art

jpeg, 863 KB

Still image

Oil painting

42 x 72 in.