Pamunkey River Va. (1864)

William McIlvaine is the artist behind "Pamunkey River Va.", dated 1864. Landscape in brief: Painters have used landscape to study light, weather, season, and the relation between people and place. The invention of paint in tubes in the 1840s made it easier to work outdoors, and landscape became a main subject of Romanticism, Realism, and Impressionism. Context for 1864: The later nineteenth century is the era of Impressionism, whose first group exhibition was held in Paris in 1874, followed by Post-Impressionism, Symbolism, and the Arts and Crafts movement. Japanese prints reached Europe in large numbers and influenced many artists, while photography changed what painting needed to do. It is listed in the Landscape collection. The image is in landscape orientation.

On onlly.art "Pamunkey River Va." is sold as a digital download (Digital JPEG + PDF files, 300 DPI). The files are delivered by email after payment, so nothing is shipped: you print locally, choosing the paper, size, and frame yourself. A landscape format suits wide, low wall spaces such as the stretch above a bed, mantel, or sideboard. Before printing, compare the proportions of the file with your frame so that nothing important is cropped. Choosing a standard frame size and printing to fit it often saves the cost of custom framing. Screens and printers render colour differently, so a small test print is a sensible way to check tones before committing to a large size. Matte and fine-art papers reduce glare in bright rooms, while glossy papers give stronger contrast and deeper blacks.

American, 1813–1867

If you like the visual language of William McIlvaine, explore more works by the same artist in our collection.