The Montclair Art Museum pays tribute to one of its famed former residents through the gallery installation George Inness: Visionary Landscapes. One of American Art’s renowned landscape artists, George Inness (1825-1894) called Montclair home towards the end of his life. The museum has over twenty paintings and drawings by Inness and curated the exhibition to spotlight recent acquisitions as well as works that have been in the collection for over seventy years. The salon style hang displays various examples from the artist’s oeuvre, while also inviting visitors to experience these oils stacked alongside one another as they would have during his lifetime at venues such as the National Academy of Design. Guests are drawn closer to the canvases through their close proximity. The repainted mustard yellow walls, formerly forest green, enhance this installation by drawing out yellows and greens lyrically interlaced throughout the collection.

According to the Montclair Art Museum, this is the only known gallery exclusively dedicated to Inness. The exhibition features examples of his earliest works, his exploration in the Hudson River School, the artist’s departure to forge his own unique style, his years in Italy, and the abstract landscapes produced towards the end of hi

George Inness (1825-1894)

Montclair Sunset, ca. 1891-1894

oil on canvas

Gift of Joyce Coe

2004.22

The painting I spent the most time with in the gallery hails from the artist’s late period, Montclair Sunset (ca. 1891-1894). A large tree is keenly placed in the middle of the composition. Its branches and foliage spread out to dominate the upper half of the canvas. A flaming orange hue penetrates the surface along the horizon line. This color explodes against the mustard yellow walls and gilded frame in the gallery and engulfs the scene. Instead of realism, Inness chose to simplify and distort the composition to accurately capture the emotions and sensations of a setting sun. 

I highly recommend George Inness: Visionary Landscapes. The Montclair local and the American Art lover would appreciate this exhibition. If you want to make the most of your experience, I strongly encourage you to sit on one of the benches in the gallery and flip through the laminated gallery guides that extensively discuss every work on view. 

George Inness: Visionary Landscapes will run through June 2024.

Categories: UncategorizedTags: art, artists, exhibition, exhibitions, painting