Reflections of Placid Lake
James M. Hart (1828-1901)
Date:
1860
Medium:
Pencil on paper
Dimensions:
5 9/16 H x 6 1/2 W
Inscription:
Inscribed along right edge: J. M. Hart, 1860
Credit:
Gift of John Palmer Gavit
Accession Number:
1932.7.3
Comments:
In contrast to some of the artist's earlier works, this drawing shows a lighter touch and a greater understanding of spatial illusion. A sharp pencil picks out the foreground grasses, lily pads, tree bark, and foliage. Softer, blurred strokes describe the distant shore, fir trees, and mountains. One can easily imagine the artist descending the path at right, alongside the birches, and coming to a halt at the water's edge. That this landscape vignette was executed on the spot is borne out by the scrupulous attention to small details, and by an inscription by the artist noting the date he created it.
