Dogwood

Autumn Woodland

Oil on Canvas
44 5/8 x 34 ¾ in.
After 1875
1931.391.6
On display in: Hull Gallery

In Dogwood, Bierstadt presents an intimate view of a forest. Such vertically composed woodland scenes are not unique in American painting; they were produced by numerous artists from the time the format was introduced in the mid-century by Asher B. Durand (1796-1886). But Bierstadt distinguishes himself with light and color effects that transform a modest scene into theater.

The dark foreground trees frame like a proscenium the spotlight opening that features a scarlet sapling, which is reflected in a rivulet. The soft emerald hues of a pond and a multicolored, wooded slope beyond intensify the flame color of the small tree. The result is magical yet hushed, a mood underlined by the wordless communication between two deer.

Text by Patricia B. Sanders reprinted from The Haggin Collection (available for purchase at the Museum Store)
© 1991 by the San Joaquin Pioneer and Historical Society