Cloud Study (Early Evening)
ca. 1786–1806
Medium
Oil on paper
Dimensions
8 7/8 x 10 1/8 in. (22.5 x 25.7 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Whitney Collection, Gift of Wheelock Whitney III, and Purchase, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles S. McVeigh, by exchange, 2003
Accession Number
2003.42.18
Tags
Art Historical Context
Simon Denis's *Cloud Study (Early Evening)*, created around 1786–1806, invites visitors into the fleeting beauty of a twilight sky. This small oil on paper (8 7/8 x 10 1/8 in.) exemplifies the artist's fascination with atmospheric phenomena, a hallmark of his career in late 18th- and early 19th-century Europe Working primarily in Italy after training in Antwerp, Denis drew inspiration from 17th-century Dutch masters like Jacob van Ruisdael, elevating cloud studies from mere background elements to subjects of profound natural drama. The choice of oil on paper is particularly significant: light...