An Old Clearing

The work is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, where it is catalogued under accession 12.140.1. It was painted in 1881 and has been included in the museum’s holdings since at least the early 20th century, as part of The American Wing’s landscape collection.

Alexander H. Wyant's An Old Clearing, created in 1881, is an oil-on-canvas landscape. This painting exemplifies a shift in American landscape art, moving away from grand vistas towards more intimate, atmospheric depictions of nature. It reflects Wyant's evolving artistic approach, which blended elements of earlier American traditions with a more introspective style.

The artwork presents a tranquil forest clearing, characterized by tall trees and the subtle play of dappled light filtering through the canopy. A small brook meanders across moss-covered ground, contributing to the scene's quietude. Wyant chose to depict the unassuming beauty of the woods near his New York home, favoring these local, everyday landscapes over more dramatic, monumental natural features.

Painted in 1881, An Old Clearing emerged during a period when many American artists still looked to European models for inspiration. Wyant, however, focused on the indigenous beauty of the American Northeast. His decision to portray the quiet, ordinary woods near his residence, rather than grand mountains or historical subjects, marked a significant contribution to the development of a distinctively American landscape tradition.