GEORGE INNESS

George Inness an American landscape painted was born near Newburgh, New York. His father intended him to be a grocer, but he showed artistic talent at an early age and was apprenticed to be an engraver. In 1845 he opened a studio in New York City, devoting himself to painting, and two years later with a friend's aid he was able to go to Rome. He was largely self-taught but traveled in Europe. He made a subsequent visit to Rome in 1851, and in 1854 he and his wife went to Paris. On their return they settled in Medfield, Mass. There Inness painted many of his best-known canvases. In later life he enjoyed a high reputation, maintaining studios in New York City and in Montclair, N.J., where most of his last twenty years were spent. At first he was influenced by the detailed, romantic depictions of nature of the Hudson River School, particuarly the work of Asher B. Durand and Thomas Cole. The work of Inness's middle period reflects his interest in the French open-air painters of the Barbizon school and the work of the English landscapist John Constable. The charming "Hackensack Meadows" (1859, New York Public Library) exemplifies, in its more direct, colorful, and decorative treatment, his increasing feeling for mass over detail, and his fine mastery of space and atmosphere are revealed in "The Delaware Valley" (1865, Metropolitan Museum, New York City). He was made a full member of the National Academy of Design in 1868. In 1878 Inness settled permanently in Montclair, New Jersey. He was particularly successful and famous during the last years of his life. Many of his landscapes of this period show a marked preference for the soft effect of early spring and the glowing russet hues of autumn. Inness was a Swedenborgian and sought the mystical in nature.

Information taken from the artist's binder in The Print Study Room and the Encarta Online Encyclopedia, http://encarta.msn.com

Entered by: Michael Clayton, Print Study Room Staff, 2/7/06