Inness began his career executing detailed, realistic landscapes in a style similar to other artists of the Hudson River School. As he developed, his work became increasingly free, mystical, and expansive. Perhaps the most important phase of Inness's career was a sojourn in France and Italy from 1870 to 1874, during which he cast aside the tightness of his early style and executed some of his most beautiful works. This panoramic landscape of a storm approaching the Alban Hills, near Rome, shows Inness at his best. His grasp of the way light fitfully pierces the clouds made every form in the painting mysterious and fascinating, and his skillful handling of color conveys the impression of a vast distance.