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Essays

The Democratic Ideal: The Mid-Nineteenth CenturyDurand, Asher B.

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A Symbol

Artwork Facts

Asher B. Durand

1796-1886
A Symbol
1856
oil on canvas
39 3/8 x 59 3/8 inches
signature lower left
Museum purchase
1989.5
Mansion: Landscapes (Gallery 7)

Analysis

Asher B. Durand's painting was inspired by a very popular poem by British writer Oliver Goldsmith. In that poem, the lofty mountain top symbolizes a village pastor's thoughts of heaven. However, the painting also contains symbols seen in many other nineteenth century landscape paintings, such as the dead tree representing death and decay in nature's unending cycle.