Untitled (Rural Landscape with Narrow River)

Unknown artist

Watercolor on paper

7 x 10.5 in.

Mori and Jacobson Collection

Though we do not know the name of the artist who created this watercolor, it is clear that they understood the traditions of landscape painting. Starting in the 17th century, when the landscape became acceptable as a subject for significant paintings, artists developed a formula that has been widely employed ever since. The main features were a middle ground taken up with water, whether a lake, river or the sea, framed by areas of trees and other foliage. Usually, one of the trees shows the ravages of time, leaving only a leafless trunk, as we see on the right side of this composition. As the space moves toward the background, the view lifts into a sky with clouds. Sometimes mountains are depicted in the far distance.

If this watercolor is by an American artist, it would correspond with the tone of many late 19th century landscapes which focused on quiet, undramatic scenes of a settled landscape rather than the grandeur of vast spaces or awesome mountain ranges.