Woodland Landscape

A group of stately birch trees creates an intimate view of nature as they emerge from the shaded foreground. Their silvery bark and deep green foliage stand out against the hazy view of distant mountains. Asher B. Durand was one of the first American artists to paint nature en plein air, or out-of-doors. He often carried his canvases into secluded parts of the forest to capture effects of light.

Critics and colleagues called Durand the "dean of American landscape painting" when he wrote a series of articles for The Crayon, a journal read by artists across the country. He gave practical advice to landscape painters and encouraged them to concentrate attention on their native land rather than traveling abroad.