Collections Database

Description:
Framed oval, oil on paper Autumn landscape painting of the view from an elevated perspective (probably Bald Mountain) looking south across the Deerfield River towards the town of Charlemont and Mt. Peak with rolling meadows and orchards in the foreground. Named for a town in Northern Ireland, Charlemont is just northwest of Deerfield along Rt. 2; many of the Greek Revival style buildings depicted on the village street are clearly identifiable and still extant, including the Baptist, Congregational and Methodist Episcopal churches. The railroad line was laid in 1868 as part of the Boston & Maine line that runs from Boston through the Hoosac Tunnel to Mechanicsville, New York; this 1868 date suggests the earliest possible date for the painting. This pastoral view both celebrates and recoils from the transformation created by the railroad, "the machine in the garden," which was first introduced to western Massachusetts in 1840. The oval painting is executed on paper which is adhered to the canvas, and attached to the original oval, painted four-member mortised panel liner.

Tags:
landscapes; abstract

Subjects:
Linen; Canvas; Landscapes; Art, Abstract

Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+89.042

Research on objects in the collections, including provenance, is ongoing and may be incomplete. If you have additional information or would like to learn more about a particular object, please email fc-museums-web@fivecolleges.edu.