Tree Landscape

Tree Landscape (1877) by Edward Mitchell Bannister, now in the collection of Smithsonian American Art Museum, represents the artist's engagement with landscape as a vehicle for exploring the relationship between direct observation and pictorial structure, light, and atmosphere. Edward Mitchell Bannister was one of the most significant African American painters of the 19th century, winning the gold medal at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition — only to have officials attempt to revoke the prize when they discovered his race.

Bannister worked with warm, tonal brushwork building landscapes through closely related tones of brown, gold, and deep green. His surfaces are richly textured with short, energetic strokes that convey the weight and presence of trees and foliage.