Study for "Catskill Creek"

Thomas Cole

National Gallery of Art

This painting depicts a vast landscape with a horizon line in the lower third of the painting. A range of dark brown and purple mountains or hills stretches across the width of the image. At the bottom of the painting, in front of the mountains, the terrain appears gentle and rolling, with thick brushstrokes of deep, rich browns and greens suggesting trees and bushland. Above the horizon, the sky is filled with softly painted clouds glowing in warm hues of orange and pink. The color palette consists of warm earth tones in the landscape and transitions to soft blues and grays in the sky.