The image depicts a night-time riverscape with a view from the bank of a river. The horizon is in the upper third of the painting, where the river meets a line of trees fading into the night. The brushstrokes give an impressionistic texture to the foliage and water, creating movement and depth. The color palette consists of deep blues and blacks, with a red-orange glow near a light source by the river bank illuminating nearby vegetation. A canoe with figures moves on the water near the light, heading towards the dim shorelines. Dark clouds loom in the upper portion, emphasizing the nocturnal…
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Spearing by Torchlight

George Catlin (American, 1796 - 1872)

1854/1869

Medium
oil on card mounted on paperboard
Classification
Painting
Dimensions
overall: 46.4 x 62 cm (18 1/4 x 24 7/16 in.)
Culture
American
Museum
National Gallery of Art, CAB
Credit line
Paul Mellon Collection
Rights
Public domain (NGA Open Access, CC0), as the museum states it.
Who can see it
Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed

View at the National Gallery of Art

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