Lines and Colors art blog

Eye Candy for Today: Thomas Moran’s Autumn Afternoon, the Wissahickon

Autumn Afternoon, the Wissahickon, Thomas Moran, oil on canvas, creek in Philadelphia
Autumn Afternoon, the Wissahickon, Thomas Moran, (details)

Autumn Afternoon, the Wissahickon, Thomas Moran, oil on canvas, roughy 30 x 45″ ( 77 x 115 cm), in the collection of the Terra Foundation for American Art (click on image for an enlargement).

There is a larger image on Wikipedia, though the color is off. I’ve taken that image and color corrected it to match the one on the Terra Foundation website to get my larger detail crops.

The Terra Foundaion is a worldwide oganization, which loans out to various museums. According to their website, this painting is currently on display at the Ashmolean Museum of Art & Archaeology, Oxford, United Kingdom until September 30, 2026.

As a long time resident of the area in and around Philadelphia Pennsylvania, I’ve been to various points in the Wissahickon, the most dramatic terrain of which lies within the city limits.

I don’t remember seeing this particular view, so I don’t know if Moran has exaggerated here. Even in the 1860s, when this painting is dated, the valley was surrounded a populated area, though you’d never know it from the composition.

Moran captures the scene, and the essence of Autimn in the lush landscapes of southeastern Pennsylvania, with a combination of sensibilities, partly from his history as a Hudson River style painter, and partly from the increasing influence of the French Barbizon painters.

Happy Autumnal Equinox!

Link:

Autumn Afternoon, the Wissahickon, Terra Foundation

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