Kansas Farmland Plein Air Landscape, by Maude J. Mitchell (1875-1957)

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On offer is an original regionalist landscape by the listed Kansas impressionist artist Maude Josephine Mitchell (1875–1957). The artwork depicts … Read more On offer is an original regionalist landscape by the listed Kansas impressionist artist Maude Josephine Mitchell (1875–1957). The artwork depicts a serene, pastoral view of the Kansas Flint Hills region. It showcases two large deciduous trees in the foreground, cattle grazing in a sunlit pasture, and historic farmsteads with reddish-orange roofs nestled against a backdrop of rolling hills.
Painting in a classic Late Impressionist/Regionalist style, Mitchell utilized thick, visible, gestural brushstrokes known as impasto to create texture, particularly in the foliage of the trees and the rolling grass.
The bottom-left corner features her verified signature, "MAUDE J. MITCHELL," painted in a distinct dark red/rust color with an elongated "L".
Maude Josephine Mitchell was a highly regarded local figure, painter, poet and composer deeply rooted in early Kansas history. Born in 1875, she was the daughter of Captain William Mitchell, a famous abolitionist leader of the Beecher Bible and Rifle Colony. Her family famously operated a station on the Underground Railroad from their farm near Wabaunsee.
She left Kansas to study art and education at the New York State Normal College at Buffalo and Columbia University in New York. She later painted a series of murals for Columbia University and designed the stone gateway for the Wabaunsee Township Cemetery.
Her absolute favorite subjects were the sweeping wheat fields and rolling prairies of the Flint Hills across Pottawatomie and Wabaunsee counties. She was known for painting en plein air, outdoors on location.
Today, her works are prized pieces of regional Kansas history. Permanent collections of her art are proudly displayed at the Wamego Historical Society and Museum, which houses a dedicated Maude Mitchell Gallery, and the Wabaunsee County Historical Society and Museum in Alma, Kansas.
Signature/Maker’s Mark: Bottom left corner (photos #6-7). Unframed dimensions: Unframed dimensions: 11” high x 15” wide. See less