John Frederick Kensett, A Woodland Waterfall, c. 1855-1865
John Frederick Kensett (American, 1816 - 1872)
A Woodland Waterfall, c. 1855-1865
Oil on canvas, 40 1/16 x 34 1/16 inches (101.76 x 86.52 cm)
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust through the generosity of Mrs. George Reuland through the W. J. Brace Charitable Trust and by exchange of Trust properties, 86-10
The collection was curiously weak in landscapes of the Hudson River School, so it was nice to be able to acquire this fine landscape by John F. Kensett, which nicely exhibits the subtle color gradations of his work. The waterfall seems to have been partly based on The Flume in Franconia Notch, and partly a concoction, created in Kensett’s studio.
Bibliography
Henry Adams, Handbook of American Paintings in the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri,1991, pp. 88-89.
Henry Adams, "Woodland Waterfall," The Antique Collector, LVIII, no. l, January l987, 52-53.
Henry Adams, "John F. Kensett's A Woodland Waterfall," Calendar of Events, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, September l986.