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.

Gallery mode Full size at the museum

Study for "Catskill Creek"

painter Thomas Cole (American, 1801 - 1848)

c. 1844/1845

Medium: oil on wood
Classification: Painting
Dimensions: overall: 30.5 x 45.7 cm (12 x 18 in.) ; framed: 40 x 54.9 x 5.1 cm (15 3/4 x 21 5/8 x 2 in.)
Culture: American
Museum: National Gallery of Art, CAB
Credit line: Avalon Fund
Rights: Public domain (NGA Open Access, CC0), as the museum states it.
Who can see it: Little Ones profiles and older: it shows gentle subjects for the very young. How works are placed

View at the National Gallery of Art

More by Thomas Cole

See all

More Romanticism

See all