Oil Paint
Oil paint is a slow-drying art medium made with pigment and a drying-oil binder that allows extended working time, smooth blending, and layered application.
Painter
Jasper Francis Cropsey
Jasper Francis Cropsey was an American Hudson River School painter celebrated for brilliantly colored autumn woods, broad river valleys, and detailed landscapes.
Jasper Francis Cropsey quick facts
Cropsey became known for vibrant autumn landscapes; he also pursued watercolor landscapes in earnest from the 1880s.
| Born | 1823 · Rossville, Staten Island, New York, United States |
|---|---|
| Died | 1900 · Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Movements | Hudson River School (associated landscape tradition) |
| Paint types | Oil Paint · Watercolor Paint · Gouache Paint |
| Painting surfaces | Canvas · Paper |
| Painting methods | Graphite landscape studies, carefully composed oil paintings, and later watercolor-and-gouache landscape studies with seasonal color |
| Common subjects | Autumn forests, Hudson River views, mountains, farming valleys, marshes, and village outskirts |
| Notable works | Autumn Landscape, Sugar Loaf Mountain, Orange County, New York · View of Mt. Washington · Hackensack Meadows · Hudson River Brick Piers |
Sources: The Met: Autumn Landscape, Sugar Loaf Mountain, oil on canvas, The Met: Hackensack Meadows, watercolor and gouache on paper, National Gallery of Art: View of Mt. Washington, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art: Hudson River Brick Piers, watercolor on paper.
Paint types used
The Met and National Gallery of Art document oil paintings by Cropsey, while Hackensack Meadows combines watercolor and gouache over graphite.
Watercolor Paint
Watercolor paint is a water-based art medium made with pigment and a water-soluble binder, typically applied in transparent washes on absorbent paper.
Gouache Paint
Gouache paint is an opaque, water-based art medium made with pigment and a water-soluble binder, drying to a matte finish that can be reactivated with water.
Surface types used
Cropsey painted autumn landscapes on canvas and used wove paper for later watercolor-and-gouache scenes of the Hudson and Hackensack waterways.
Canvas
Canvas is a woven fabric support, commonly cotton or linen, used for painting and sold either raw or prepared with a compatible ground layer.
Paper
Paper is an absorbent sheet material made from pressed fibers, with weight, sizing, and surface texture controlling moisture tolerance and paint behavior.
Painters similar to Jasper Francis Cropsey
Durand and Cole shared Cropsey's devotion to American landscape, but Cropsey became particularly recognizable for vibrant seasonal colors.
Asher B. Durand
Asher B. Durand was an American Hudson River School painter who favored careful observation of trees, quiet forests, and luminous outdoor studies.
Thomas Cole
Thomas Cole was an English-born American painter whose dramatic Catskill landscapes and allegorical cycles helped establish the Hudson River School.