# Mountains in Colorado

**John Frederick Kensett** (American, 1816–1872)  
1870  
oil on paper mounted on paperboard  
10 1/4 x 14 in. (25.9 x 35.7 cm)

Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1967.136.6. [The museum's record](https://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=13575).

## About this work

John Frederick Kensett painted peaceful views in muted colors to express a sense of quiet reflection. American artists in the nineteenth century often painted the mountains of the American West rising dramatically from the Great Plains. Kensett, however, chose to paint from inside the mountains, showing successive ridges marching toward the Continental Divide. The dull browns, greens, and grays of the scene evoke the cold, thin atmosphere of Colorado’s high altitudes.

_Text from the Smithsonian American Art Museum._

John Frederick Kensett painted this in 1870, aged 54. It is now at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC.

### How it was made

- **Oil paint.** Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.

### [John Frederick Kensett](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/john-frederick-kensett)

American, 1816–1872; born in Cheshire, Connecticut; died in New York

Kensett trained as an engraver before spending seven years in Europe, sketching in England and Italy. Back in New York in 1847 he became a leading figure of the second generation of the Hudson River School. His quiet coastal views of Newport, Long Island and Lake George, with broad still water and soft light, are central to what later writers called Luminism. He was a founder of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

## Facts

- Type: Painting
- The artist was 54
- Real size: about 10 × 14 in (26 × 36 cm). The 11 × 14 in print is close to life size.
- Century: 19th century
- Movement: [Hudson River School](https://www.ochreeditions.com/movements/hudson-river-school)
- Subjects: Mountains, Western, Landscapes, Rocks
- Colour: brown
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/1928.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/1928/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/mountains-in-colorado-si-saam-1967-136-6).