Claude Gellée (given the nickname Lorrain after his birthplace in France) worked his entire career in Rome and is known for a landscape style that combines classical ideals of beauty and harmony with a sensitive and acute observation of nature. He was particularly fascinated by the effects of light and he spent countless hours in nature, studying the morning sky, sunset and sunrise. In his painting, the long shadows and the pink tone of the clouds in this painting indicate that the time of day is evening or early morning.