Forest Scene
Artist
William Trost Richards
(American, 1833-1905)
CultureAmerican
Date1875
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions27 1/4 x 40 in. (69.2 x 101.6 cm)
Overall, Frame: 34 1/2 x 47 1/2 in. (87.6 x 120.7 cm)
Overall, Frame: 34 1/2 x 47 1/2 in. (87.6 x 120.7 cm)
InscribedSigned and dated lower left: ;
Wm. T. Richards;
1875
Credit LineBequest of Edward J. Brickhouse
Object number84.499
On View
Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 212
Label TextWilliam Trost Richards American, 1833–1905 Forest Scene, 1875 Oil on canvas This lush green forest is a feast of details. Working outdoors, William Trost Richards filled his sketchbooks with pencil and watercolor drawings of how sunlight and shadow turned each leaf and mossy rock into a unique universe of colors. He then used these studies as an encyclopedia from which to compose rich paintings like this Forest Scene in his studio. Though lacking dramatic topography and historical associations, his paintings appealed to scientists, poets, philosophers, and all who appreciated nature’s beauty. Bequest of Edward J. Brickhouse 84.499 ProvenanceEdward J. Brickhouse, Virginia; Bequest of Edward J. Brickhouse to The Chrysler Museum, 1984. Exhibition HistoryGoupil Gallery, New York, NY, February 1876. "Hidden Treasures: The Art of William Trost Richards," The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, Va., October 2, 1993 - January 2, 1994. "Behind the Seen: The Chrysler's Hidden Museum," Large Changing Gallery, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., October 21, 2005 - February 19, 2006. Shown in conjunction with exhibits "Kim Keever: Mountains, Forests, and Ocean Shores," and "Jean-Pierre Roy," Museum of Contemporary Art, Virginia Beach, Virginia, July 21 - December 30, 2011. Published ReferencesMartha N. Hagood and Jefferson C. Harrison, _American Art at the Chrysler Museum: Selected Paintings, Sculpture, and Drawings_ (Norfolk, Va.: Chrysler Museum of Art, 2005), 98-99, no. 58. ISBN: 0-940744-71-6
