1825 - 1894
Ariccia, 1874
Oil on canvas
26-1/2 x 56-7/8 in

On his third trip to Europe, in the 1870s, Inness visited Italy for the first time. He painted primarily in Rome and its environs, finding many of his subjects among the scenic lakes and deep valleys of the Alban Hills and the hilltop towns. The rosy beige, tan, and white buildings of the town of Ariccia crown a ridge that stretches across the middle distance of this panoramic painting.

The geometry of the town is balanced by three horizontal elements: the long bridge in the foreground, the horizon, and the strata of thin clouds. Inness captures the characteristic light at the end of the day, a time of stillness and tender melancholy to which he returned in his later work.