Jervis McEntee (American 1828-1891) Jackrabbit on a Woodland Path

Jervis McEntee (American, 1828-1891) Jackrabbit on a Woodland Path Initialed and dated "JMcE N. A. 1881" l.r. Oil on canvas (with panel insert backing), 36 1/4 x 30 1/2 in. (92.0 x 77.4 cm), framed. Condition: Losses/abrasions, surface grime. N.B. Jervis McEntee was born in upstate New York, in 1828, and it was here he would spend much of his time studying and painting Hudson River scenery. McEntee studied formally with Frederick Edwin Church, but was encouraged by his family to pursue a career in business. Ultimately, McEntee decided to devote himself to painting, and in 1858 he took up residence in the Tenth Street Studio Building in New York City among other Hudson River School artists. His work is distinguishable from these other artists by his simpler landscape forms and more subdued light and color schemes. Later in his career, his brushstroke became looser following a trip to Europe with Sanford R. Gifford, and this is apparent here. McEntee's most well known works, which he often exhibited with poetry passages, are quiet scenes of autumn landscapes, much like this painting.