George Inness

George Inness (1825-1894) was a member of the Hudson River school, self-taught until in 1841 he began painting seriously towards his first exhibition at the National Academy of Design in 1845. During the next 25 years he had three painting trips in Europe, where he was influenced by the works of Constable, Turner and Delacroix, amongst others. Inness was elected to the National Academy in 1868; although he believed himself to be a realist painter, his works are recognized as a "native American form of Impressionism".