Absalom's Pillar, Valley of Jehoshaphat
1839
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1839
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Absalom's Pillar, Valley of Jehoshaphat is a 1839 by David Roberts, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This painting shows a rocky desert scene with a tall, round tower built into a cliff. Below it, a group of people sit on the ground near a deep, narrow ravine. The sky is light and hazy, while the landscape is mostly browns and tans, with some green in the distance. The tower’s odd shape and the empty valley give it a quiet, mysterious feel. The artist was likely trying to capture how strange and grand old ruins can look in nature. Next, check out Romanticism to see how artists used drama and nature in their work.
