Thomas Worthington Whittredge

Worthington Whittredge painted American landscape with a quiet, even light. His forest interiors are cool and green, with sunlight filtering through tall trees onto streams, and his views of the Great Plains are long, low and spacious, with tiny wagons or riders under an enormous sky.

Born near Springfield, Ohio, he began as a house and sign painter, then went to Europe in 1849 and studied in Düsseldorf, where he worked with Emanuel Leutze. After ten years abroad he returned to New York and became a leading member of the Hudson River School. He made trips to the West, and served as president of the National Academy of Design in the 1870s.

A Wagon Train on the Plains, Platte River shows his western work. Look at the thin line of the horizon and the delicate handling of light and air.