“Spring Flood on the River” by Hugh McChesney

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In 1990, the year this work was completed by Hugh McChesney, heavy rains in May swamped Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma and … Read more In 1990, the year this work was completed by Hugh McChesney, heavy rains in May swamped Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma and southern Mississippi. But wherever he may have set up his easel, this work has the immediacy of a study done on site. After days of rain upriver, turbulent waters swirl by these flooded banks, where the grass across the way is already turning golden in the heat. The artist has heightened the emotional power of what he witnessed with brighter colors. Instead of monochromic murky brown water interspersed by bits of broken, blackened tree limbs, McChesney painted glimpses of iron-rich red mud intermingled with cerulean, mauve and Prussian blue flows across the painting, directing the viewer’s attention to the awesome energy of the moment. See less