The Old Mill

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Artist: George Inness (American, 1825–1894)
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 75.9 × 107 cm (29 7/8 × 42 1/8 in.)
Museum: Art Institute of Chicago
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

George Inness began painting landscapes during a period in which the public preferred depictions of the untamed American wilderness; throughout his career, however, he insisted upon the importance of the cultivated landscape as a subject for art. In this work, the brightly lit figures and mill contrast with the shadowy darkness of the trees, suggesting the potential for danger at the edge of the forest. The rundown mill represents a stable, settled area but also points to the changes brought about by industrialization. Inness thus created a contradictory view of rural life that celebrates its simplicity and safety while hinting at its decline.

Text: Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0.