ASHER BROWN DURAND | WOODLAND INTERIOR

Graham Williford, New York

Alexander Gallery, New York

Acquired by the present owner from the above, 1979

Judith Hansen O'Toole wrote about the present work, "In the late 1840s and early 1850s, Durand produced numerous forest interiors resembling this one. He often paired his trees, as here, so that he could more readily compare and contrast their features and the different shades of green in their leaves. He delighted in showing their rough surfaces covered with lichen and moss. Their inherent nobility and grandeur were eloquently conveyed through his artistic mastery. The feeling of being in the wilderness is so realistically conveyed here that the viewer can almost smell the peat moss, the decaying trees, and other odors associated with the forest interior." (Judith Hansen O'Toole, American Scenery: Different Views in Hudson River School Painting, New York, 2005, p. 72)