Quaker Ridge

More Information

Charles Dewey called Quaker Ridge one of his best works. As a member of the Tonalist movement, Dewey painted quiet landscapes that focused more on mood than on detail. Tonalism became popular in the 1880s as American artists moved away from precise realism and embraced soft color and atmosphere. Dewey stood out as a leader even among his peers—his paintings often have a misty, glowing quality, as if nature is wrapped in fog. Quaker Ridge shows his signature style, with a smooth, almost dreamlike appearance that feels both calm and distant. Like many of Dewey’s landscapes, this one likely shows a scene from the Northeast, close to his home in upstate New York. His goal wasn’t to document a place exactly, but to capture the feeling of standing there.

Keywords

Light
Landscapes
American
Impressionism
Trees