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Holy Mountain IV by Horace Pippin

Horace Pippin · 1946-01-01

Horace Pippin's 1946 painting Holy Mountain IV, at The Met, offers a quiet vision of peace and harmonious coexistence. This work is part of a series exploring Edenic states, where a lion, bear, and dog rest together. The composition features a leafless tree and a large mountain, rendered with thick, visible brushstrokes characteristic of Pippin's impasto technique. The artist, an important voice in American art history, was the first Black artist to be the subject of a monograph. He found quiet triumph in depicting simple forms and subjects of natural harmony.

Details

Their poses suggest a peaceful, unified world.
Their poses suggest a peaceful, unified world.
He explored visions of natural harmony.
He explored visions of natural harmony.
Look at the stark, bare tree.
Look at the stark, bare tree.
Thick strokes give the mountain texture.
Thick strokes give the mountain texture.
This animal's alert yet calm stance contributes to the overall sense of a tranquil, unified natural world.
This animal's alert yet calm stance contributes to the overall sense of a tranquil, unified natural world.
Transcript

A lion, a bear, and a dog all rest together. Their poses suggest a peaceful, unified world. Horace Pippin painted this in 1946. He explored visions of natural harmony. Look at the stark, bare tree. Thick strokes give the mountain texture. The artist was called the most important Black painter. He saw a quiet triumph in simple forms.