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This is a painting of wildlife in a forest setting. The scene depicts a bear in a tree, a deer walking, and a striped feline on the ground. The background features trees with round foliage on a textured backdrop, with sections of grass. The colors contrast with the greenery, and there is a sense of movement through the flowing form of the tree branches and leaves. This is in the style of folk or naive art, characterized by its simplified shapes and bold use of color.
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This is a painting of wildlife in a forest setting. The scene depicts a bear in a tree, a deer walking, and a striped feline on the ground. The background features trees with round foliage on a textured backdrop, with sections of grass. The colors contrast with the greenery, and there is a sense of movement through the flowing form of the tree branches and leaves. This is in the style of folk or naive art, characterized by its simplified shapes and bold use of color.

National Gallery of Art · Drawing

Bear in Tree

American 19th Century

Date
c. 1850
Medium
stencil and watercolor
Dimensions
Overall (approximate): 22.3 x 37 cm (8 3/4 x 14 9/16 in.) support: 22.7 x 37.2 cm (8 15/16 x 14 5/8 in.) framed: 27.3 x 41.9 cm (10 3/4 x 16 1/2 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Accession number
1953.5.130
Credit line
Gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch
Time span
1826 to 1850
Department
CG-W
Original NGA record Wikidata

Subjects and terms

  • American
  • animal
  • stencil

NGA object ID 42538. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.