The Storm, 1885
Oil on canvas, 20 1/2  x 31"
Gift of Barbara B. Millhouse, 1966.2.11

Upon his death in 1894, Inness lay in state at the National Academy of Design.  This was the rarest of honors for a painter - one denied Frederic Church, Albert Bierstadt, and Jasper Cropsey.  Inness, however, was singular in his lifetime.  He began his career as a celebrated member of the Hudson River School - indeed he studied for a time under Cropsey - but unlike his more famous compatriots, Inness updated his vision and technique throughout his life.  In the 1880s his work took on a dark cast, but never lost compositional vigor or evidence of meticulous brushwork.  Working paint like the younger generation, yet maintaining a spiritual narrative in his art, Inness remained vital in his own lifetime.  In the twentieth century, popular attention has oscillated from Inness' early to late work, but it is rare for a nineteenth century painter to enjoy such a persistent and persuasive reputation.