Stumps and Allagash

Neil Welliver painted "Stumps and Allagash" without a known date, focusing on form with simplified strokes and a cool, subdued palette that gives a serene, almost melancholic feel. The paint looks applied in flat, deliberate sections, building up the image like a puzzle, and the texture seems smooth, with little to no visible brushwork. Look at how the dark reflections ripple and contrast with the muted tones of the stumps. There's a real tension here, a dance between representation and abstraction, as Welliver hones in on color and shape to capture the essence of the natural world. Welliver's work reminds me a bit of Fairfield Porter, but with a more rugged, less domestic sensibility, and you can see both artists sharing a fascination with the American landscape and a willingness to approach painting as an ongoing experiment.