Sanford R. Gifford (1823-1880),
Lake Scene, 1866, oil on canvas, 18 x 32 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, gift of Mr. and Mrs. O. Leslie Stone, 1962.
In this painting, the radiant orange tones of the afternoon sun permeate the New England landscape, creating a harmonious depiction of man co-existing with nature. A member of the Hudson River School of American landscape painting, Sanford R. Gifford was one of the few artists who actively participated in the Civil War, serving in New York's 7th Regiment. His serene rendition of tree stumps, a stone wall, and the figures of a man and a woman allude to the peaceful rebuilding of a nation after the violence and disruption of war.