Artwork
Bridge and Trees
Bridge and Trees is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Thomas Moran. It dates from 1878 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Bridge and Trees is a 1878 print by Thomas Moran, an American artist associated with the Hudson River School. It is executed in etching and drypoint in black.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts two bare trees standing in shallow, turbulent water, with a faint suggestion of a bridge or land in the background. The twisted branches and textured water create a sense of dynamic movement.
Technique & Style
Moran used scratching and scraping techniques to create dark, jagged lines that define the trees and water, achieving a dramatic contrast of light and shadow without relying on color.
History & Provenance
The print is part of the collection at the National Gallery of Art in Washington. Moran worked in New York with his wife, printmaker Mary Nimmo Moran, and his brother, marine artist Edward Moran.
Artist & collection
Artist
Thomas Moran (February 12, 1837 – August 25, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker of the Hudson River School in New York whose work often featured the Rocky Mountains.
The Stream
A Forest Marsh with Travelers on a Bank (The Travelers)
Back of the Mills
Mouldering Tree Trunk
The Water's Course
The Virgin Islands in Bezons (Les Iles vierges a Bezons)
The Island, opposite Boyle's Farm
Fisherton Bridge, Salisbury
Willows of the Mottiaux Islands
Landscape
Wooded Pond by the Ancient Sluice of Levaux near Vienne
Summer—Easthampton