Flying Shadows 1905

Willard Metcalf painted "Flying Shadows," an oil on canvas, in the late 19th or early 20th century, during the American Impressionist movement. Against a backdrop of industrialization and urbanization, artists like Metcalf turned to nature, seeking solace and national identity in landscapes. The bright sky and verdant field can be understood within the context of a quickly modernizing America. Metcalf, like many artists of his era, romanticized the rural landscape as untouched and pure, a vision which often overlooked the displacement and marginalization of Indigenous peoples from these very lands. With its focus on light, color, and fleeting moments, "Flying Shadows" captures the ethereal beauty of nature. The open field invites you to step into the scene, to feel the sun on your skin and the wind in your hair. While formally pleasing, such landscapes participate in a longer history of idealizing nature.