Sunrise, George Inness
In the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Use the Download or Enlarge links under the image. Don’t take my limited detail crops above as your only view of the painting; go the Met’s site and view the image full screen.
There are lots of paintings that shout at the viewer, and many that speak directly, but in works like this, pioneering Tonalist George Inness whispers to us about the poetic spirituality underlying the natural world.
Virtually all of his later works are masterful examples of the use of soft edges, and their power to evoke mystery. Though his painting process was reportedly animated and forceful, Inness suggests his forms with delicate wisps of color that appear to be breathed onto the canvas.