Landscape with Shepherd
Duncanson, who was born free in upstate New York, was one of the most prominent artists of African descent working in the United States in the 1850s. In this painting, Duncanson adapted motifs of the Romantic landscape tradition: the shepherd, the lightning-blasted tree, and the idealized pastoral view devoid of the destructive industrialization, territorial conflict, and agricultural transformation then shaping the nation. Duncanson painted with a thinness that allows the canvas to show through in select areas, drawing attention to the material qualities of his medium and the presence of his hand in constructing the scene.
Artwork Details
- Title: Landscape with Shepherd
- Artist: Robert S. Duncanson (1821–1872)
- Date: 1852
- Culture: American
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 32 1/2 x 48 1/4 in. (82.6 x 122.6 cm)
- Credit Line: Purchase, Gift of Hanson K. Corning, by exchange, 1975
- Object Number: 1975.88
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
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