Galleries of the Stelvio- -Lake Como
Artist
Sanford Robinson Gifford
(American, 1823 - 1880)
Date1878
MediumOil on canvas, with an original 1870s-style frame
DimensionsFramed: 47 x 40 3/4 x 4in. (119.4 x 103.5cm)
Overall: 30 1/2 x 24 1/2in. (77.5 x 62.2cm)
Overall: 30 1/2 x 24 1/2in. (77.5 x 62.2cm)
ClassificationsPAINTINGS
Credit LineProctor Collection
Terms
Object numberPC. 48
Description On View
On viewCollections
CopyrightNo known copyright restrictions.
Label TextCaptured in Sanford Robinson Gifford's Galleries of the Stevio- -Lake Como is a moment of pure aesthetic beauty and ease. Traveling abroad in the mid-1800s Gifford was inspired by the sensuous Italian landscape. The artist's use of pastel blues and pinks capture the hazy quality of a warm summer afternoon, while the contrast of light and shadow draws attention to the natural curve of the rock cliff utilized and altered by man's hand. There is a luxuriant motion to the tunnel road accentuated all the more by the curve in the wall on which a couple rests observing the boats below and the still lake. Gifford uses an effective illusionary device by placing the viewer just inside the cool tunnel that frames the picturesque view.
Sandra Vázquez
Diversity Intern, 1997
