Arcadópolis
Loch Long
Robert S. Duncanson, 1867
What you see
A calm lake opens in the center and winds away among the mountains. On the left, rocky slopes come down to a shore of stones and shrubs; on the right, three slender trees stand out against the sky beside a large boulder. Below, on the beach, a tiny figure carries something red, and a few animals rest on the sandy spit beyond.
The brushwork is fine and the colors gentle: greens, lilacs and pinks on the mountains, and a whitish sky with sunlit clouds. The water catches the light with a silvery sheen. Look for the fine cracks in the paint across the sky, and the touch of red on the figure, which draws the eye.
About Robert S. Duncanson
Robert Duncanson was born free in New York State and built his career in Cincinnati, becoming the best-known African American painter in the United States around the time of the Civil War. Backed by abolitionist patrons, he painted serene landscapes in the manner of the Hudson River School, travelled to Italy and Scotland, and spent part of the war in Canada. He was one of the first African American artists to win international acclaim, and in 2021 his “Landscape with Rainbow” was displayed at the Capitol for the presidential inauguration.
More by Robert S. Duncanson
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