My 5 Favorite Paintings of 2009, Part 4

George Inness, Homeward. 1881. 20" x 30". Oil on Canvas.

(with close-up below)

At the Brooklyn Museum of Art.

This painting is here to represent a large group of paintings I saw in 2009, studied, and will continue studying in 2010: 19th century American luminist paintings.

I saw a George Inness exhibit at the LA County Museum of Art in the 1980's that stuck with me. I've long wanted to see more and hoped to see several in New York. But the Met was remodeling their American Wing this year. I discovered this when we trekked through the Egyptian wing to see the 19th century American landscapes and it was closed.

Instead - to my complete delight - they had all those paintings stuffed in some old-style glass cases. They were jam-packed against the beige metal pegboard behind glass. Row after row. It was like shopping in a supermarket: you walk down the aisle with paintings stacked one above the other to your left and right. Talk about efficient! And even better, we went twice and were the only people there.

Back to Inness. This one isn't my favorite by him but he is one of my favorite painters. Inness, Church, Sanford: I saw them at the Met, at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, at the Smithsonian.

Selecting my top 5 favorites grows more challenging with each post. I've reviewed the photos I took in 2009 at the various museums, then went to their websites to see the images they took. I've discovered that the Brooklyn Museum of Art is, like the museum itself, a gem! See for yourself here. You can look at any of their paintings, find out all the info you want, and share in multiple ways. You can download in a variety of sizes, embed the image or share using social media.