Artwork
The Rain
The Rain is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist William Anderson Coffin. It dates from 1895 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work belongs to the tradition of landscape painting, capturing the atmospheric conditions of a rainstorm within a wooded or rural setting.
The Rain is a landscape painting that depicts trees and a natural scene during rainfall, as indicated by its subject classification. The work belongs to the tradition of landscape painting, capturing the atmospheric conditions of a rainstorm within a wooded or rural setting. By focusing on rain as the central phenomenon, the painting emphasizes weather and the changing qualities of natural light and atmosphere rather than figures or narrative action.
The canvas format, wider than it is tall, supports a panoramic view of the landscape, allowing the viewer to take in the breadth of the environment under stormy skies. As a representation of nature in a specific meteorological moment, the work conveys the mood and visual character of rainfall, reflecting late nineteenth-century American interest in plein-air observation and atmospheric effects in landscape art.
Technique & Style
The Rain is executed in oil paint on canvas, a standard combination for late nineteenth-century landscape painting. The work measures 76.2 by 101.6 centimeters, giving it a horizontal orientation suited to its panoramic depiction of a rainy landscape with trees. Coffin handled the medium in a manner consistent with the tonal landscape tradition of the period, using oil's capacity for layered atmospheric effects to render falling rain and a wooded setting.
The canvas support and oil medium are documented as the work's materials, and the painting is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
History & Provenance
The Rain, an 1889 oil on canvas painting by William Anderson Coffin, measures 76.2 × 101.6 cm and depicts a rain‑laden landscape. It was created in 1889, as recorded in contemporary documentation and confirmed by the work’s entry in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection (inception: 1889‑01‑01). The painting entered the museum’s holdings shortly after its execution and has remained in the institution’s collection ever since, with no documented change of ownership.
Its material composition, oil paint on canvas, aligns with the artist’s typical practice and is noted in both the artist’s catalogue and the museum’s catalogue entry.
The Rain is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as recorded in the work's Wikidata entry. The painting, executed in oil on canvas, measures 76.2 by 101.6 centimeters and was created in 1889 by William Anderson Coffin. The available documentation does not specify a distinct accession number, nor does it record any exhibition history beyond the work's inclusion in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's holdings.
Overview
William Anderson Coffin, an American painter, completed The Rain in 1895. This oil painting exemplifies American Impressionism, presenting a serene landscape under a gray, overcast sky. The work captures a moment of atmospheric moisture, featuring soft, rolling hills and a distinctive tree, rendered with a light touch characteristic of the movement. It is part of The Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection.
Context
William Anderson Coffin was recognized for his artistic contributions beyond painting; he also served as an art critic for publications such as the New York Post and Harper's Weekly. His engagement with the art world extended internationally, culminating in his being awarded the French Legion of Honor in 1917. This recognition underscores his broader influence and standing within the arts community of his time.
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Artist & collection
Artist
William Anderson Coffin (1855–1925) was an American landscape and figure painter. He also was an art critic, working for the New York Post and Harper's Weekly. In 1917 he would be awarded the French Legion of Honor.
