I was reading the book, American Light, The Luminist Movement 1850-1875, and came across the following:
“By the 1850’s the features of the picturesque composition—rough foreground, reflecting body of water in the middle ground, and mountains in the distance—were a commonplace. There was even a standard circuit taken by artists and tourists of the picturesque spots in the mountains of New York state and New England. The most favorable viewpoints for observing the famous scenery were often marked by a rest house and publicized in books illustrated by the traveling artists.”
How funny! No wonder so much of the art at that time seemed to have a standardized look. But the real reason this got to me, is that I’m working on a painting with a rough foreground, mountains in the distance, and I’m trying to think of ways to improve the composition and make it more interesting... So I was planning to put a few puddles of water in the middle ground that would reflect the sky!
