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Asher Brown Durand
American, 1796 - 1886
Genesee Oaks, 1860
American Painting
Oil on canvas
28 1/4 in. x 42 in. (71.76 cm x 106.68 cm), without frame
Gift of the Women's Council in honor of Harris K. Prior, 74.5
Currently on View
No matter what the weather, this view across the Genesee Valley near Geneseo is as breathtaking now as it was over two hundred years ago, when landowner James S. Wadsworth commissioned Hudson River school founder Asher B. Durand to record the beauty of the landscape in a painting. In the summer of 1859, Durand traveled from New York City to the Genesee Valley to make preparatory sketches. Trained as an engraver, he recorded many of the details that he saw, but in addition, his personal belief in the immanence of the divine in the natural world motivated him to present a landscape that seems to extend infinitely.
Statuesque oak trees, many of which are still standing on the land, dominate the painting. In this region, the trees were more than a decorative feature. When the Wadsworths began to sell and lease land to local farmers, they included a clause in the contract requiring that a number of trees remain after the land was cleared. This was a holdover from British husbandry; the result was a countryside that was not only beautiful but that provided sun and moisture control for humans and animals alike. Genesee Oaks was Durand's tribute to the splendor of this valley.
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