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Mountains in Colorado

John Frederick Kensett, born Cheshire, CT 1816-died New York City 1872

John Frederick Kensett painted peaceful views in muted colors to express a sense of quiet reflection. American artists in the nineteenth century often painted the mountains of the American West rising dramatically from the Great Plains. Kensett, however, chose to paint from inside the mountains, showing successive ridges marching toward the Continental Divide. The dull browns, greens, and grays of the scene evoke the cold, thin atmosphere of Colorado’s high altitudes.

Date

1870

Type

Painting

Medium

oil on paper mounted on paperboard

Department

SAAM

Institution

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Object number

saam_1967.136.6

Credit

Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Orrin Wickersham June