Provenance
Mrs. Myron E. Merry, Newbury, OH; The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (December 15, 1953)
Accession Number
1953.657
Medium
watercolor
Dimensions
Image: 37.5 x 53 cm (14 3/4 x 20 7/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Credit Line
Anonymous Gift
Tags
Drawing Early Modern (1901–1950) Watercolor American Color: Yellow
Background & Context
Background Story
Autumn Forest from 1924 is one of Blaney's most accomplished watercolor landscapes, depicting a forest in autumn color with the atmospheric technique and precise observation that distinguish his best work. The autumn subject allows Blaney to exercise his skill with color in the watercolor medium, capturing the specific hues of New England autumn foliage with the transparency and luminosity that only watercolor can provide. The 1924 date places this in Blaney's most productive period, when he was producing the watercolor landscapes that are his most accomplished works.
Cultural Impact
Autumn Forest is one of Blaney's most accomplished watercolor landscapes because it demonstrates his skill with color in the watercolor medium. The autumn subject allows a range of warm hues that Blaney captures with the transparency and luminosity that distinguish watercolor from oil, and the result is a painting that is both a precise study of New England autumn foliage and an exercise in watercolor technique.
Why It Matters
Autumn Forest is Blaney's watercolor color at its most luminous: a forest in autumn rendered with the transparency and warm hues that only watercolor can provide. The 1924 painting captures New England autumn foliage with the precise observation and atmospheric technique that distinguish Blaney's most accomplished watercolor landscapes.
