Nightfall near Olana
Frederic Edwin Church, American, 1826â1900
August 1872
Medium
landscapes
Classification
landscapes
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Louis P. Church
Accession Number
1917-4-587
About this artwork
Landscape and atmosphere sketch showing a view of a vividly-illuminated pink cloud after sunset near the artist's New York estate, known as Olana. In the lower right corner, the tops of several nearby trees are visible, highlighted in a deep, saturated green. Beside them, heavily wooded hilltops are also shown along the lower margin. Dominating the composition at center, a puffy cumulus cloud catches the fiery pink light of the setting sun on its left edge, which grows fainter and darker as it e...