The Natural Bridge, Virginia (Primary Title)
David Johnson, American, 1827-1908 (Artist)
David Johnson’s landscapes usually depict the woods, mountains, and waterways in and near his native New York. Yet between 1860 and 1862, he produced at least six paintings of this distant, single site near Lexington—the Natural Bridge of Virginia. The 215-foot-tall limestone arch was an iconic landmark, celebrated in art and literature. Thomas Jefferson, who owned the property between 1774 and his death in 1826, used his influence to encourage artists to depict the bridge as a uniquely American site.
When Johnson visited in 1860, he completed a series of pencil sketches, both from below the bridge, as seen here, and from a distance. When he returned to New York, Johnson worked up the sketches into this final composition. He added flourishes such as the four figures on the banks of Cedar Creek. Johnson’s group of landscape tourists appear to be caught in a moment of silent rapture, considering the awesome height of the soaring arch.
Bold Cautious True: Walt Whitman and the American Art of the Civil War Era, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA, June 2 - August 26, 2012.
Some object records are not complete and do not reflect VMFA's full and current knowledge. VMFA makes routine updates as records are reviewed and enhanced.
