Introduction
"A Coming Storm" is a powerful work of art painted by the hands of Sandford Gifford in 1863. This was during the time of the American Civil War and storms were a common depiction in paintings. It could be argued that this was due to the turmoil and strife of the country at the time but it could also have just been a popular subject. What can be considered a coincidence? Sanford Gifford's painting found itself in a series of such coincidence's and there is a unique story behind this masterpiece. The painting itself can be viewed in room 216 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and tied to events that changed the course of history.
Artist Inspirations
Sanford Gifford was among the Hudson River School and was inspired by the renowned Thomas Cole. Initially during Gifford's training to become an artist he was wanted to focus on portraiture but when being exposed to Thomas Cole he changed his trajectory towards landscape painting. When it comes to the painting "A Coming Storm" like many artist's Gifford likely put his own spin on the ideas of his contemporaries. One of the notable paintings that could have been an inspiration was Thomas Cole's painting "Landscape With Figures: A Scene from 'The Last of the Mohicans'" Once compared the similarities stand out immediately though it could by no means be considered a copy; this is accusation thrown around by art critics of that time pretty often. Cole's painting shares a similar color theme and value range. The stormy greys are warmer in Gifford's final painting like Cole's but one clear decision is the addition of more complimentary blue shades through atmospheric perspective and the waters reflection's. The fall colors are more bright and saturated because in his final painting he decided to lighten his values rather than Cole's approach of mass dark values. When looking at the painted study "A Coming Storm on Lake George" it is clearly much closer to the colors and value range of Thomas Cole.
The Year Leading up to the Painting
In the year of 1863, leading up to the creation of "A Coming Storm" Sanford Gifford was serving in the National Guard during the American Civil War. His final tour was in 1863 and during this time his brother, Edward Gifford, was taken prisoner of war. He had attempted to escape by swimming across the Mississippi River and this resulted in his death. Up to this point Gifford mostly painted the landscape as he saw it but this year when working up to this painting it was stated, in Hudson River School Visions: The Landscapes of Sanford R. Gifford, that “Whether or not the drawings were done in the field, the initial ideas for A Coming Storm were highly conceptual and seemingly more artistic than natural in inspiration.” This becomes evident when looking between the compositional studies, the painting study and the final painting. Since Gifford broke his usual pattern it could be a result of the emotional distraught of the time; maybe Gifford was looking for a challenge to escape into.
Historical Significance
American citizens know that one of the many major events in American history was the assassination of the 16th president Abraham Lincoln. This happened on April 14, 1865 and Lincoln later died on the 15th. This was about a week before "A Coming Storm" was set to be displayed at the opening of The National Academy of Design on April 27 which was promptly postponed. At this moment the painting was owned by Edwin Booth who was a well known Shakespearian actor in New York City best known for preforming Hamlet. He was also brother to John Wilkes Booth who killed the president. John Wilkes Booth was later found then killed on April 26. Due to these series of events this painting is often looked at as an omen which the title "A Coming Storm" fits well. Edwin Booth was an accomplished but tragic character and became overshadowed by his brother actions and is worth further reading to any interested.
Conclusion
This painting is one of many paintings that traveled through the trenches of history and is quite the impact when seen in person. At the end of it this is the only painting Sanford Gifford ever returned too, retouched and and added a new date to in 1880. This was the same year that the artist unfortunately passed but even though it is not known for sure what his exact feelings on the painting are regarding all these events one statement that can be made is that "A Coming Storm" was an important painting to the artist.
Works Cited
Kelberlau, Sandra. “How One Landscape-Painter Paints: The Technique of Sanford Robinson Gifford.” Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, Harvard University Art Museums, 2006.
Campbell, Bruce. Hudson River School Visions: The Landscapes of Sanford R. Gifford. Edited by John P. O’Neill and Ellen Shultz, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2003.
“Landscape with Figures: A Scene from ‘The Last of the Mohicans.’” Landscape with Figures: A Scene from “The Last of the Mohicans” - Conversations with the Collection - Terra Foundation for American Art, conversations.terraamericanart.org/artworks/landscape-with-figures-a-scene-from-the-last-of-the-mohicans/#:~:text=The%20grandeur%20of%20Cole’s%20mountainous,on%20the%20Terra%20Foundation%20website. Accessed 21 Mar. 2024.
Comments