Recent Acquisition: "Study Near Warwick, New York" by David Johnson

David Johnson (United States, 1827 – 1908), Study Near Warwick, New York, 1873, oil on canvas, 13 1/4 x 21 ¼ inches. Portland Museum of Art, Maine. Gift of Walter B. and Marcia F. Goldfarb, 2020.3. Image courtesy of Luc Demers

David Johnson (United States, 1827 – 1908), Study Near Warwick, New York, 1873, oil on canvas, 13 1/4 x 21 ¼ inches. Portland Museum of Art, Maine. Gift of Walter B. and Marcia F. Goldfarb, 2020.3. Image courtesy of Luc Demers

David Johnson’s Study Near Warwick, New York represents a view from the East Side of the Hudson River looking past Iona island and towards Bear Mountain. The Hudson River Valley captivated the New York native, who painted several small-scale, carefully observed studies of this area during the 1860s and ’70s. Johnson creates a layered landscape, moving from a rock-strewn foreground to a lush valley to the distant mountains beyond. Wisps of clouds gleaming from below lend the scene a sense of tranquility. Unlike many of his compatriots, who traveled far to depict astonishing and massive natural wonders, Johnson stayed close to home to reveal the beauty of the local New York landscape.

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