The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 10, 2024

A Winter Sky

A Winter Sky

1866
(American, 1825–1894)
America, 19th century
oil on canvas
Framed: 82 x 102 x 11.5 cm (32 5/16 x 40 3/16 x 4 1/2 in.); Unframed: 56 x 77.5 cm (22 1/16 x 30 1/2 in.)
The Charles W. Harkness Gift 1927.388
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

George Inness originally included a figure standing at the left edge of the pond, which he later painted over so that it is no longer visible.

Description

In A Winter Sky, George Inness concentrated on depicting the effects of light and atmosphere. In this composition, the artist combined a vibrant, glowing sunset with a harsh, bleak landscape. Inness's color choice reinforces this contrast, as the warm pinks and yellows in the sky play off the cool blues of the frozen ground.
  • William H. Hurlbut (Sale: Leavitt Art Rooms, New York, 31 May 1883, cat. no. 46 as A Winter Sky);
    Charles Harkness, New York (1916)
  • "Bequest of Mrs. Charles W. Harkness." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 4, no. 4 (1917): 63. Mentioned: p. 63 www.jstor.org
  • Julie Mehretu: Portals (FRONT International: Oh, Gods of Dust and Rainbows). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 16-November 13, 2022).
    George Inness and the Visionary Landscape. National Academy of Design Museum and School of Fine Arts, New York, NY (organizer) (September 17-December 28, 2003); San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, CA (January 24-April 18, 2004).
    New York, National Academy of Design, The Art of George Inness: A Visionary Perspective ( 17 September-12 December 2003); traveled to San Diego, San Diego Museum of Art (24 January-18 April 2004); illus. cat. no. 10, p. 81.
    New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, George Inness (1 April-9 June 1985); traveled to Cleveland, The Cleveland Museum of Art (21 August-6 October 1985); Minneapolis, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts (10 November 1985-12 January 1986); Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (20 February-11 May 1986); Washington, D.C., National Gallery of Art (22 June-7 September 1986), cat. no. 13, pp. 102-103, illus. p. 103.
    Visions of Landscape: East and West. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 17-March 21, 1982).
    Cleveland, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Visions of Landscape: East and West (17 February-21 March 1982)
    Leavitt Art Rooms, Hurlbert Sale (New York, 1883), cat. no. 46 as A Winter Sky; this records the 31 May 1883 sale of this painting from the William Henry Hurlbert collection.
    Luminous Landscape: The American Study of Light, 1860-1875. Fogg Art Museum/Harvard University, Cambridge, MA (organizer) (April 18-May 11, 1966).
    Cambridge, Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Luminous Landscape: The American Study of Light, 1860-1875 (18 April-11 May 1966), cat. no. 24, illus. as Winter, Close of Day.
    Oshkosh, Wisconsin, The Paine Art Center, A Retrospective Exhibition of Paintings by George Inness (2 October-28 October 1962), cat. no. 9 as Winter, Close of Day.
    George Inness Retrospective. Paine Art Center and Gardens, Oshkosh, WI (organizer) (October 1-31, 1962).
  • {{cite web|title=A Winter Sky|url=false|author=George Inness|year=1866|access-date=10 May 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1927.388