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Mount Washington in Summer
Charles Wilson Knapp (1823-1900)
Signed and dated lower right: CWKnapp 1881
Oil on canvas, 20 x 36 inches
Private collection
North Conway's serene Intervale proved an ideal setting for Philadelphia artist Charles Wilson Knapp's bucolic paintings. Knapp worked in a strongly horizontal format, using a palette of soft greens and earth tones. A diffuse light bathes the scene, softening the transition between land and sky. Viewed from the valley floor, graceful elms provide rhythmic accents as they, like the Saco River, recede toward the stately Mount Washington in the distance. Subtle references to husbandry and agriculture—cows grazing and a modest farmhouse—suggest the peaceful coexistence of man and nature. Seemingly removed from any populous center, this panoramic view was in fact visible just steps away from the many hotels in North Conway, alive with tourists searching for the beauties of nature every summer.
