Asher B. Durand, Kaaterskill Clove, oil on canvas, 1866, 38 ¼ x 60 in. The Century Association, New York, NY. View in Scrapbook
Durand's much later painting is a softer depiction of Kaaterskill Clove in the summer. Interestingly, it conveys more of a sense of the "golden splendour" that Cole described in his journal during his 1838 sketching trip to the Clove. The scene is more peaceful than Cole's more turbulent view, while the lack of any human figures in the foreground gives the spectator the sense of floating over the vista. Here, we see Durand experimenting with a new style, now known as luminism, in which the painting is unified through soft forms and contours and enveloping atmospheric effects. 1