“Lake George”
Today, we travel to upstate New York.
“Lake George” is an oil on canvas painting by the American Hudson River School artist, John Frederick Kensett, from 1869. Kensett visited and painted Lake George many times. This is the largest of his renditions of the lake.
Lake George, in upstate New York north of New York City, was a favorite for the Hudson River School artists. It is a region of historical significance, from the French and Indian War to the Revolutionary War. It is also an area of natural beauty, located at the foothills of the Adirondack Mountain range. At the time this was painted, Lake George was a huge tourist attraction and was a magnet for the wealthier tourists from New York City. Many of Kensett’s paintings, including this piece (bought by the banker, Morris Jesup), were purchased by these wealthier tourists.
Kensett was a leader of the second generation of Hudson River School artists. His ability to convey the infusing glow of light in the subtlest ways helped foster the new Luminism art technique. Kensett differentiated from the other Hudson River School artists, such as Frederic Edwin Church, as he chose to paint with more muted colors. He did use some artistic license in the overall composition of the landscape, such as omitting islands and bringing forward the background. It is believed that Kensett’s vantage point for this painting was from Crown Island looking northeast across the lake.
“Lake George” is currently on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, in the United States.
For more on John Frederick Kensett, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
