Plein Air Painter at an Easel 1780 - 1830

This anonymous 19th-century print from the Metropolitan Museum of Art depicts a plein air painter at work in the landscape. The artist is shown sitting in front of an easel, a palette of paints in his hand and brush in his other. The setting is a wooded area with hills in the background. This image captures the romantic spirit of the time and the appreciation of the natural world that characterized the 19th-century landscape painting movement. The artist's focus on realism and detail makes the image a compelling look into the life of a working painter, and captures the artist's connection to the world around him. This work demonstrates the practice of Plein air painting and its popularity in the 19th century.