Untitled (cattle near river with sailboat in distance)

Edward Mitchell Bannister was greatly influenced by the French Barbizon school, whose serene depiction of nature and idealized pastoral subjects appealed to his belief in the underlying harmony of all creation. Bannister preferred painting the play of light and the effects of weather on the natural world, often using muted colors and soft depictions of light and shadow. In this untitled work, the dark cluster of trees contrasts with the light-colored clouds, the cows with the bright flock of sheep and river. But within Bannister’s balanced, harmonious composition the lively brushstrokes of the leaves suggest a restless breeze that animates the overcast scene.