Sanford Gifford (1823–1880) drew and painted the scenic spots favored by Thomas Cole and Frederic Church, which, by then, had become very famous. In his Twilight in the Catskills of 1861, Gifford used his imagination and his ability as a painter of light to create a solemn, disturbing vision, the meaning of which goes beyond the usual boundaries of landscape painting. Generously sponsored by the Martin A. Ryerson Lectureship Fund.
In each lecture in this series, John Walsh selects an American painting in the Gallery’s collection and examines the similarities and differences between depiction and reality, returning to the painter’s original vantage point in an attempt to work out just what happened when he returned to the studio.
Note: This lecture is the third in the series American Views, Viewpoints, and Manipulations. All lectures are held in the Robert L. McNeil, Jr., Lecture Hall. Seating is limited. Doors open one hour prior to each lecture. Free tickets to the lecture are handed out in the lobby beginning one hour prior; ticket holders are guaranteed a seat.
Lecture Series: American Views, Viewpoints, and Manipulations: Sanford Gifford Creates “Darkness Visible”
Sanford Robinson Gifford, Twilight in the Catskills, 1861. Oil on canvas. Yale University Art Gallery, Gift of Joanne and John Payson in memory of Joan Whitney and Charles Shipman Payson, Class of 1921, and in honor of Joan Whitney Payson, B.A. 2009