A Stream in the Wood
by DURAND, Asher Brown, Oil on canvas, 102 x 82 cm
A Stream in the Wood is also typical of Durand’s subject matter, as most of his paintings depict woods. He almost invariably uses the same compositional format, comprising a few trees in the foreground, an empty middle area, and beyond these a luminous sky which casts light on the valley. Durand’s paintings show nature in its wild state, without any sign of human presence, and glorify American nature as a new Eden.