Mountains in Colorado

John Frederick Kensett, born Cheshire, CT 1816-died New York City 1872 · 1870

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.