Description
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.
Provenance
Ralph M. Coe, Cleveland (1913-1927).
Accession Number
1927.396
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
Unframed: 73.8 x 113 cm (29 1/16 x 44 1/2 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph M. Coe
Tags
Painting Impressionist & Modern (1851–1900) Oil Painting Canvas American Color: Gray
Background & Context
Background Story
Approaching Storm from the Alban Hills (1871) dates from Inness's European sojourn, when he was painting the Italian landscape that had attracted artists since the 17th century. The Alban Hills—the volcanic complex south of Rome that includes Castel Gandolfo and the papal summer residence—provided Italian scenery that served Inness's developing Tonalist approach. The approaching storm—a subject that combined atmospheric drama with the Italian landscape's inherent beauty—challenged Inness to reconcile Tonalist subtlety with the storm's visual drama. The year 1871 places this during Inness's most productive European period, when he was absorbing the Barbizon School's influence and reworking his approach to landscape painting. The Italian setting is significant: Inness was one of many American painters who studied in Italy, but his Tonalist approach produced Italian landscapes that differed dramatically from the more topographical treatments of his American contemporaries. His approaching storm is less about the dramatic weather event than about the atmospheric conditions that precede it—the changing light, the shifting air, and the sense of anticipation that stormy weather produces. This emphasis on the moment before rather than during the event reveals Inness's preference for suggestion over statement—a principle that distinguishes Tonalist painting from more dramatic traditions.
Cultural Impact
Inness's Italian landscapes influenced how American artists engaged with European scenery, demonstrating that personal vision could transform even the most familiar Italian subjects. The paintings influenced the tradition of atmospheric storm painting, establishing conventions for depicting approaching weather that influenced later American and European painters. The Alban Hills subject influenced how this Italian landscape was perceived by American audiences.
Why It Matters
This painting matters because it demonstrates how Inness's Tonalist principles could serve even dramatic subjects. The approaching storm—a subject that traditionally invited visual spectacle—is treated with atmospheric restraint, emphasizing the moment of anticipation rather than the moment of impact. This approach reveals Inness's conviction that artistic significance lies not in what happens but in how what happens is felt.
