Smithsonian American Art Museum
Clearing Off
John Frederick Kensett, born Cheshire, CT 1816-died New York City 1872 · ca. 1865
A storm blows through this Civil War--era coastal landscape, turning the water a dark steely gray. John Frederick Kensett's dramatic vantage point places the viewer low in the scrub amid the boulders. A striking drift of red wildflowers in the front center catches the light and glistens like fresh blood, a subtle reference to the ongoing political conflict.
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