Apple Trees in a Meadow
American Art

Apple Trees in a Meadow
Artwork Details
Artist/Maker
Edward Mitchell Bannister
American, 1828–1901
American, 1828–1901
Date
ca. 1890
Medium
Oil on canvas
Accession #
2009.30
Dimensions
20 x 24 inches
Location
On View - Stent Family Wing, Level 3, Gallery 305
Description
One of the first African American artists to achieve widespread recognition in the 1800s, Edward Bannister began his career as a portrait painter. Influenced by the French Barbizon artists and his spiritual relationship with nature, he turned to landscape painting as an expression of faith.
Likely painted near his home in Rhode Island, Apple Trees in a Meadow is a mature example of Bannister’s work. A profusion of blossoms covers the branches in celebration of spring and poetically affirms his belief in “the harmony of all created things.”