Artwork
View near Sherburne, Chenango County, New York
View near Sherburne, Chenango County, New York is an oil painting by the Hudson River School artist Jasper Francis Cropsey. It dates from 1853 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
View near Sherburne, Chenango County, New York is executed in oil on canvas, a standard support for mid-nineteenth-century American landscape production.
View near Sherburne, Chenango County, New York is executed in oil on canvas, a standard support for mid-nineteenth-century American landscape production. The canvas measures 84.1 by 122.9 centimeters, a horizontal format well suited to expansive rural vistas. Cropsey's handling of oil paint in this work aligns with Hudson River School conventions, rendering pastoral elements such as grazing cattle and trees within a broader landscape composition.
The work is held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing, where its medium and classification as a landscape painting are documented.
History & Provenance
Created in 1853, Jasper Francis Cropsey painted View near Sherburne, Chenango County, New York as an oil on canvas landscape for The American Wing. The work measures 84.1 × 122.9 cm and depicts cattle, a tree and a broader countryside scene. It entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it has been displayed as part of the museum’s American paintings holdings.
No earlier owners or commissioning details are recorded; the painting’s provenance is limited to its creation and subsequent accession by the Met.
Overview
Jasper Francis Cropsey's "View near Sherburne, Chenango County, New York" is an oil on canvas painting that captures a serene rural landscape. The composition features a tranquil farm setting, with two brown cows grazing near a split-rail fence. A prominent oak tree anchors the left side, while gentle green hills recede under a pale blue sky, evoking a sense of calm and natural beauty characteristic of American landscape painting of the period.
Subject & Meaning
This painting depicts an unassuming scene in upstate New York, yet Cropsey imbues it with a deeper significance. His intention was to elevate common agricultural land, presenting it as a source of peace and potential. The placid cows, seemingly undisturbed, contribute to this atmosphere of quiet contemplation, suggesting a harmonious relationship between humanity and the natural world, and the inherent promise found in the American countryside.
Context
Cropsey created this particular view of Chenango County shortly after his marriage, a period often associated with new beginnings and optimism. The choice of a local, unpretentious subject reflects a broader artistic trend in 19th-century America to celebrate the nation's own landscapes, finding grandeur and spiritual resonance not only in dramatic vistas but also in the everyday tranquility of its settled regions.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jasper Francis Cropsey was an American architect and artist. He is best known for his Hudson River School landscape paintings.
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