Study of Beeches
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
14 3/4 x 10 3/8 in. (37.5 x 26.4 cm)
Classification
Painting
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Thomas Kensett, 1874
Accession Number
74.13
Tags
Art Historical Context
John Frederick Kensett’s *Study of Beeches* captures a quiet moment in nature through the artist’s sensitive observation of trees. Painted in oil on canvas in 1872, this modest yet evocative work highlights the textured bark and delicate foliage of beech trees, inviting viewers to appreciate the subtle beauty of the American landscape. Kensett, a leading figure in nineteenth-century American art, often explored light and atmosphere in his compositions, and this piece reflects his meticulous approach to rendering natural forms. Measuring just 14 ¾ by 10 ⅜ inches, the painting demonstrates the ...
About the Artist
John Frederick Kensett · 1816–1872
John Frederick Kensett (1816–1872) was one of the most admired American landscape painters of the nineteenth century, a central figure of the Hudson River School whose late work pioneered the atmospheric, light-saturated style now known as Luminism. Born in Cheshire, Connecticut, into a family of engravers, Kensett learned the craft of engraving in his youth, a discipline that gave him an early tr...