Geese c. 1865

Elihu Vedder made this oil-on-canvas painting of geese sometime during his career. The geese, rendered with soft brushstrokes, sit calmly amidst a landscape of earthy tones. Vedder spent much of his working life in Italy, among a community of American expatriate artists. Vedder was a man of cosmopolitan tastes, fluent in multiple languages, and an avid reader of European literature. As a group, expatriate artists self-consciously positioned themselves against the dominant artistic institutions back in America. They sought a freedom from the cultural constraints and perceived provincialism of the United States. This painting, with its intimate scale and informal subject matter, can be understood in this light. Art historians can use letters, diaries, and exhibition reviews to better understand the choices artists make and the role of art within a society. Art's meaning is never fixed. It changes with time and place.