Storm Over the Moors

William Ashford Crane · 1842

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

127 × 102 cm

One of the defining works of British Romantic landscape painting, this monumental canvas confronts the viewer with the raw, indifferent power of nature. A lone oak — a symbol of resilience and mortality — stands against a sky churning with dark cumulus. Crane employed sweeping impasto strokes and deep chiaroscuro contrasts to create an almost theatrical sense of sublime dread. The painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1843 to considerable critical acclaim.