Tag Archives: Landscape Art

October 24, 2025 · 6:00 am

#FineArtFriday: Haying at Jones Inn by George Henry Durrie 1854

Artist: George Henry Durrie (1820–1863)

Title: English: Haying at Jones Inn

Date: 1854

Medium: oil on canvas

Dimensions: 22″×30″

Location: Private collection

What I love about this painting:

George Henry Durrie found beauty in the depictions of ordinary life. He always found a way to fit people into his scenes.

I absolutely love the nostalgia of this scene, and the wealth of information about how a reputable roadside inn worked. It is clear that Durrie was frequent guest at Jones Inn. He traveled widely in the years he worked as a portrait painter, and this particular public house is featured in his work several times from different angles. I like to imagine he painted the inn to provide a little respite from the demands of portraiture.

This scene shows us a day at the end of summer. Laborers are bringing a wagon piled high with hay. Two oxen are hitched behind a horse, the three working together to pull the laden wagon.

Country inns were often working farms. They had to be, as they were feeding staff and laborers as well as guests all year long, and there were no Costco, Sam’s Club, or Wholesale Foods to purchase supplies from.

The stables and the people who cared for the horses were just as important. Providing well for travelers’ horses was as crucial as that of providing the best rooms and food possible for their guests.

The hay piled on this wagon will feed not only the innkeepers’ beasts but will feed the horses ridden by guests as the year progresses. Many more wagons will be required to fill the barn and hayloft.

About the Artist, Via Wikipedia:

George Henry Durrie (June 6, 1820 – October 15, 1863) was an American landscape artist noted especially for his rural winter snow scenes, which became very popular after they were reproduced as lithographic prints by Currier and Ives.

For many years, Durrie made a living primarily as a portrait painter, executing hundreds of commissions. After marriage, he made frequent trips, traveling to New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Virginia, fulfilling commissions and looking for new ones. His diary reveals that he was an enthusiastic railroad traveler, in the early days of the railroads. Durrie also painted what he called “fancy pieces”, whimsical studies of still lives or stage actors, as well as painting scenes on window-shades and fireplace covers. But portrait painting commissions became scarcer when photography came on the scene, offering a cheaper alternative to painted portraits, and, as his account-book shows, Durrie rarely painted a portrait after 1851.

Durrie’s interest shifted to landscape painting, and while on the road, or at home, made frequent sketches of landscape elements that caught his eye. Around 1844 Durrie began painting water and snow scenes, and took a second place medal at the 1845 New Haven State Fair for two winter landscapes. [1]

To learn more about this artist, go to George Henry Durrie – Wikipedia

Credits and Attributions:

IMAGE: Wikimedia Commons contributors, “File:George Henry Durrie – Haying at Jones Inn.JPG,” Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:George_Henry_Durrie_-_Haying_at_Jones_Inn.JPG&oldid=853995435 (accessed October 22, 2025).

[1] Wikipedia contributors, “George Henry Durrie,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_Henry_Durrie&oldid=1282714933 (accessed October 22, 2025).

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Tagged as 19th century American landscape art, George Henry Durrie, Haying at Jones Inn, Haying at Jones Inn by George Henry Durrie, Landscape Art

June 6, 2025 · 6:00 am

FineArtFriday: Laundry at the River Bank by Eero Järnefelt 1889

Artist: Eero (1863–1937)

Title: English: Laundry at the River Bank (Suomi: Pyykkiranta)

Date: 1889

Medium: oil on canvas

Dimensions: height: 104 cm(40.9 in) width: 134 cm (52.7 in)

Collection: Private collection

What I love about this painting:

When writers need to know how things were done historically, Wikimedia Commons is a vast resource of paintings and images made during all stages of recorded history.

This is a scene featuring two women on a sunny afternoon in the far north—Finland. They are spending the overcast summer’s day doing the distinctly not-so-glorious task of laundry. Very few artists painted scenes of women at work. So, those of us with modern conveniences have no real idea how labor-intensive women’s work was.

It was hot, heavy work. One had to carry and heat all the water, and once the clothes were washed, they had to be wrung out by hand unless one was fortunate enough to own a wringer/mangle. (Where I live, it’s called a wringer. Elsewhere in the world, it’s a mangle.) Then, it had to be hung on a line or spread out somewhere to dry.

And once the clothes were dry, they had to be ironed. This solid, heavy iron tool was heated on the stove and if one got it a bit too hot it could scorch the clothes. Not hot enough and it wouldn’t smooth away the wrinkles.

Thus, laundry was an all-day job.

Soaps were most often made of animal fats and lye (ashes steeped in water), along with other ingredients to improve the smell. This lye soap was harsh but effective.

In this scene, one woman keeps the water hot, adding wood to the fire. A bucket and ladle sit on the rocks behind her, handy for fetching more water and adding it to the boiler as needed. Certain items of clothing are most likely soaking in the boiling water. Whites were usually boiled.

While the peasants of the time didn’t know about germs, they did know that boiling water made things cleaner and that cleanliness made their families healthier.

My grandmother was born in 1909 in a rural cabin on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. She often pointed out how lucky I was because, prior to getting her first wringer washing machine in 1929, she had to do laundry the hard way. She boiled diapers, Grampa’s shirts, and “women’s things.” In the era before disposable bandages, material intended for use as bandages would also be boiled for at least an hour.

Peasant women were unaware of solar radiation and ultraviolet light. But they did know that diapers dried in the summer sun were less likely to cause a rash than those dried indoors in the winter.

Clearly, Järnefelt knew the amount of work it took to produce a clean shirt and respected the women who made his life easier.

About the artist, via Wikipedia:

Erik “Eero” Nikolai Järnefelt (8 November 1863 – 15 November 1937) was a Finnish painter and art professor. He is best known for his portraits and landscapes of the area around Koli National Park, in the North Karelia region of Finland. He was a medal winner at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1889 and 1900, taught art at the University of Helsinki and was chairman of the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts.

To read more about the artist go to: Eero Järnefelt – Wikipedia

Credits and Attributions:

IMAGE: Laundry at the River Bank. Wikimedia Commons contributors, “File:Järnefelt Laundry.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:J%C3%A4rnefelt_Laundry.jpg&oldid=866950564 (accessed June 5, 2025).

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July 19, 2024 · 6:00 am

#FineArtFriday: Midsummer Eve Bonfire by Lake Jølstravatnet by Nikolai Astrup 1909

Artist: Nikolai Astrup (1880–1928)

Title: Norwegian: St. Hansbål ved Jølstervatnet,

English: Midsummer Eve Bonfire by Lake Jølstravatnet

Date: 1909

Medium: oil on canvas

Inscription: Signature bottom right: NASTRUP

What I love about this painting:

This is a scene that is full of life, family, and tradition. I love the intensity of color, the way people are shown enjoying the company of their loved ones.

Midsummer Eve is the best part of summer. The weather usually cooperates, allowing for an outdoor picnic that goes late into the night. In Norway and in Scandinavian countries, the eve of the Birth of St. John is celebrated with a communal bonfire. The celebration is also known as Jonsok, meaning “the wake of Saint John.”

The summer solstice has just passed and the longest days of the year are upon us. Twilight lasts long into the evening. Nicolai Astrup has shown us a cozy celebration of family and friends gathered at a place he clearly loved. They light bonfires to celebrate the birth of a saint, but more than that, they are there to share the holiday with the people they love.

About the Artist, via Wikipedia:

Nikolai Astrup (Norwegian pronunciation: [nɪkʊˈlɑ̀i̯ ˈɑ̀stɾʉp]) (30 August 1880 – 21 January 1928) was a Norwegian modernist painter. Astrup was a distinctive, innovative artist noted principally for his intense use of color depicting the lush landscapes of Vestlandet featuring the traditional way of life in the region.

Astrup held three significant exhibitions during his lifetime; at Kristiania 1905 and 1911 and at Bergen in 1908. In 1907, he was married to Engel Sunde with whom he had eight children. Astrup struggled with tuberculosis and general poor health as his asthma worsened. In 1913, Astrup settled with his wife and children in Sandalstrand (now Astruptunet) on the south side of Lake Jølstravatn across from the village of Ålhus. He died of pneumonia in 1928 at the age of 47 in the neighboring municipality of Førde. Astrup was buried in Ålhus Cemetery, in Jølster Norway. [1]

Credits and Attributions:

IMAGE: Nikolai Astrup, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia Commons contributors. File:N Astrup-St. Hansbål ved Jølstervatnet.jpg [Internet]. Wikimedia Commons; 2024 May 31, 05:34 UTC [cited 2024 Jul 17]. Available from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:N_Astrup-St._Hansb%C3%A5l_ved_J%C3%B8lstervatnet.jpg&oldid=880323847.

[1] Wikipedia contributors, “Nikolai Astrup,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nikolai_Astrup&oldid=1156381035 (accessed July 17, 2024).

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Tagged as 20th century Norwegian art, Landscape Art, Midsummer Eve, Modern Art, St. John's Eve

July 29, 2022 · 6:00 am

#FineArtFriday: Tanguar Haor by Abdul Momin, 2017

Photograph: Tanguar Haor by Abdul Momin

Date: 2 November 2017 [1]

What I love about this image:

Today I’m detouring briefly from Renaissance art and delving into modern photographic art with a wonderful image by a brilliant young photographer, Abdul Momin. A photograph has to be uniquely special if it is to be selected as a Wikimedia Commons Picture of the Day. This image more than deserved that honor.

As a lover of fantasy art, I feel it was shot at the perfect time of evening.

The artist’s eye comes into play in how the picture was framed. The skill and craft of the photographer comes across in his choice of filters, shutter speed, and how the image was digitally processed to become what we see depicted here.

The scene is simple, only black juxtaposed against shades of gray and orange. Yet there is a surreal quality to this landscape. The silhouettes of the birds and people against the evening sky, with the tree centered and anchoring the scene is magical.

The photographer’s eye and artistic ability gives us a beautiful moment in time, a windless moment of peace and serenity, of humankind coexisting with nature.

About this image, via Wikimedia Commons:

This image was selected as picture of the day on Wikimedia Commons for 4 July 2022. Tanguar Haor is a unique wetland ecosystem of national importance and has come into international focus. The area of Tanguar haor including 46 villages within the haor is about 100 square kilometres. It is the source of livelihood for more than 40,000 people.

Bangladesh declared it an Ecologically Critical Area in 1999 considering its critical condition as a result of overexploitation of its natural resources.

Every winter the haor is home to about 200 types of migratory birds. In 1999–2000, the government earned 7,073,184 takas as revenue just from fisheries of the haor. There are more than 140 species of freshwater fish in the haor. The more predominant among them are: ayir, Catfish, baim, tara, gutum, gulsha, tengra, titna, garia, beti, kakia. Gulli, balua, ban tulsi, nalkhagra and other freshwater wetland trees are in this haor. [2]

About the photographer, via Wikimedia Commons:

Born and raised in Bangladesh, Abdul Momin has earned his name as an emerging photographer with works that are recognized by the global community. He started photography in his college days. Since then, his work has been published in The Guardian, The Times, National Geographic, The Mail, The Mirror, The Telegraph and many more platforms around the world. He has earned various awards from different parts of the globe for his photography works. He says that for him, “Photography changed my life totally. I would have been a typical office going guy, but photography made me see more, to see deeply into the lives of people. It also made me to love nature. The best part of being a photographer is having the ability, the power to show others exactly how you see the world around you.” [1]

Credits and Attributions:

[1] Image: Tanguar Haor by Abdul Momin and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Wikimedia Commons contributors, “File:Tanguar haor, Bangladesh 01.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Tanguar_haor,_Bangladesh_01.jpg&oldid=675047221 (accessed July 29, 2022).

[2] Wikipedia contributors, “Tanguar Haor,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tanguar_Haor&oldid=1095980778 (accessed July 29, 2022).