Joseph Rusling Meeker (American, 1827-1889)

Luminist landscape painter Joseph Rusling Meeker is known for his panoramic views of Louisiana bayous and detailed depictions of moss laden cypress trees. Often repetitive in his subject matter, he liked to paint the same views, albeit with different atmospheric effects of light and sky. The work offered here is a sublime example of a Meeker landscape which appears outside of the normal lexicon of the artist’s oeuvre. A group of hunters rests at the end of a ridge in the middle of a bayou, contemplating the sunset and fiery clouds. A stark moss-laden cypress tree stands below a crescent moon. The verdant bayou and marsh grasses are framed by the tree line on the horizon. This landscape represents Meeker at his finest, with a luminous sky of breathtaking color, fine brushwork and a depiction of the natural world that seemingly places the viewer in the scene.