Forest Scene

Thomas Moran, an Englishman by birth who spent most of his adult life in America, is considered one of America's most celebrated painter and printmaker. Having been born in the year 1837 and died in the year 1926, Moran was a younger sibling to the notable marine artist of the time, Edward Moran, whom they shared a studio with.

Thomas Moran, alongside other artists like Thomas Hill, William Keith, as well as Albert Bierstadt, were recognized as members of the Rocky Mountain School, and they were uniquely known for their style of landscape painting due to the many Western landscapes they painted at the time.

Thomas Moran started his artistic works when he was apprenticing as a teenager at the Philadelphia engraving company. However, he never loved the engraving work, and instead, during his free time, he was working on his watercolors. In the 1850s, Thomas Moran started drawing the engraving firm's illustrations for publishing instead of carving. During that period, Moran came across illustrated books that contained sample works of the English artist J.M Turner, who later became one of Moran's greatest influencers for the rest of his life and career. He started emulating Turner's works and his unique style, including the choice of the landscape after visiting England to see his works.

The forest scene is a landscape painting done in the year 1870. It is made up of trees and vegetation, which give an outlook of a real forest. The work was influenced by J. M. W Turner’s works, which were also associated with vegetation. The artist embraces the green colour on the vegetation, which is similar to than in the forest environment. The painting is concentrated on the forest features as the artist displays the trees close together without any regard to space, sky, and clouds. The painting shows that the sun penetrates the trees, and the artist applies the brown colour to complement the background of the vegetation.

The painting depicts the floor of the forest as it is covered with different vegetation that complements the appearance of the forest. The trees and vegetation are arranged in a way that leaves a path between them. The path guides the viewer to study and develop an interest in where it leads to amidst the thick forest. The sight of the forest gives the impression of an adventurous environment for the pursuant of nature and other viewers. Also, the painting was done in an oil and canvas medium. Given the calm nature of the trees, the painting portrays a tranquil and calm mood, which depicts relaxation. The piece of work has a measurement of 41 cm by 51 cm. The artist applies the technique of landscape painting.