Storm in Umbria

1875·Oil on canvas·33 × 114.3 cm (13 × 45 in.)

<p>Between 1867 and 1875, Elihu Vedder painted numerous scenes of Umbria, a region in central Italy that lies roughly halfway between Rome and Florence. These works integrate characteristic features of the area—wide basins and river valleys flanked by the Umbrian-Marchigian Apennine mountain range—with pastoral details such as goatherds and dramatic atmospheric effects. Since the early 19th century, numerous American artists had traveled to Italy to further their artistic educations and to experience the history of European art. Vedder continued this tradition by finding inspiration in Italy’s varied landscape and rich traditions.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1875
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 33 × 114.3 cm (13 × 45 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Elihu Vedder

Artist

Elihu Vedder

Painting

Elihu Vedder was an American painter and illustrator known for symbolic and allegorical compositions often populated by classical and mythological figures. Active across the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, he worked in oil and watercolor, developing a distinctive aesthetic that merged Academic training with decorative sensibility. His murals and book illustrations, particularly for editions of Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, established him as a major figure in American Symbolism. Vedder spent significant periods in Italy, where his engagement with Renaissance tradition and classical subject matter deepened. His work balanced narrative complexity with formal elegance, influencing American decorative arts into the early twentieth century.

New York, NY, USA

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