Trout Brook in the Catskills 1875

Worthington Whittredge made this painting with oil on canvas, using brushes to manipulate the viscous paint. The tradition of oil painting is rooted in careful layering and blending. Here, the material qualities really shine. Notice the smooth gradations of light and shadow, achieved through blending. Whittredge has also employed a kind of scumbling – that's a dry-brush technique – to suggest the rough texture of bark and foliage. The way he's handled the paint mirrors the inherent qualities of the brook: the smoothness of the water, the solidity of the rocks. In the 19th century, landscape painting like this held a complicated position. On one hand, it was thought of as a high art, requiring skill and aesthetic sensibility. On the other hand, it was very popular with the rising middle class, who wanted to bring nature into their homes, at least as an image. So, while Whittredge certainly considered himself an artist, he was also participating in a market economy, creating desirable commodities for a growing audience. The painting shows how attention to materials and process can reveal social and cultural dynamics at play.