Artwork
Luxuriant Forest on the Bank of the Amazon
Luxuriant Forest on the Bank of the Amazon is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist George Catlin. It dates from 1862 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
George Catlin's Luxuriant Forest on the Bank of the Amazon, created in 1862, is a landscape painting that focuses primarily on the depiction of trees.
George Catlin's Luxuriant Forest on the Bank of the Amazon, created in 1862, is a landscape painting that focuses primarily on the depiction of trees. The work presents a dense, natural scene centered on the flora found along the Amazon River bank. As a genre landscape, the subject matter emphasizes the lush vegetation and the specific botanical elements of the region rather than human figures or narrative events. The painting serves as a visual record of the Amazonian environment as interpreted by the artist.
Technique & Style
George Catlin executed Luxuriant Forest on the Bank of the Amazon in 1862 as an oil painting on card that was subsequently mounted on a paperboard support. The work measures 47.3 cm in height and 62.5 cm in width. As a landscape genre piece, the composition centers on the depiction of trees, capturing the dense vegetation of the Amazon riverbank.
The handling of the oil medium on this card support distinguishes it from traditional canvas paintings, offering a distinct surface for the artist's rendering of the forest environment.
History & Provenance
George Catlin painted Luxuriant Forest on the Bank of the Amazon in 1862, executing it in oil on card mounted on paperboard. The work descended from the artist to his three daughters, Clara Gregory Catlin, Louise Catlin Kinney, and Elizabeth Wing Catlin, through family inheritance. In 1912 the American Museum of Natural History purchased the painting from Elizabeth Wing Catlin.
The museum deaccessioned it in 1959, selling it through Kennedy Galleries in New York to Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia. In 1965 Mellon gave the painting to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it remains in the collection. The sources do not provide a specific accession number or exhibition history.
Overview
Created in 1862, Luxuriant Forest on the Bank of the Amazon is an oil painting executed on card that has been mounted on paperboard for support. The work presents a view of a thick, verdant forest along the Amazon River, centering on a solitary tree that rises amid the surrounding foliage. The piece measures roughly the size of a standard sheet of paper, reflecting the artist’s choice of modest materials for a large‑scale landscape effect.
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Artist & collection
Artist
George Catlin ( KAT-lin; July 26, 1796 – December 23, 1872) was an American lawyer, painter, author, and traveler, who specialized in portraits of Native Americans in the American frontier.
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