The Catskills

Asher Brown Durand was born August 21, 1796 in Maplewood, New Jersey. He was an American painter of the Hudson River School. His interest shifted from engraving to oil painting. In 1837 he accompanied his friend Thomas Cole on a sketching expedition to Schroon Lake in the Adirondacks. He spent summers sketching in the Catskills, Adirondacks, and the White Mountains of New Hampshire making hundreds of drawing and oil sketches that were later incorporated into finished pieces which helped define the Hudson River School.

In this painting you can see the beautiful aspect of nature. Asher Durand really shows how beautiful the nature is. The painting really brings your attention to the trees and eventual cliff. The bright colors of nature bring a happy mood to the painting. As you look into the horizon you see the decreasing low view of the mountains. You can see the valley and mountains in the background. Another thing that this picture brings to your attention is the ground and the detail of Earth's ground. As you look at the painting the direction of the trees almost make your eyes circulate around the border of the painting.

The focus of this picture is the center of the picture, towards the valley. The light from the right of the picture brings your attention to the mountains and the valley. The brightness of the picture and the frame work really bring your attention to the middle of the picture. The trees frame the the center and try and bring your eyes to the middle of the screen. The rhythm of the picture is right to left as the first thing you will notice is the detail in the tree. The light balance of light and dark brings out the attention and beauty of the bright valley.