Title: Study of Clouds

Artist: Simon Denis

Study of Clouds with a Sunset near Rome 1786–1801 Simon Denis Flemish, Antwerp 1755–Naples 1813 Oil on paper Tiny silhouettes of buildings and trees punctuate a narrow strip of land at the bottom of this dramatic study of rolling clouds filling the sky and catching the sunlight at day's end. It is one of a group of vigorous landscape sketches that Denis painted on the spot in Italy. An inscription by the artist on the back indicates that he painted this work near Rome, where he lived from 1786 to 1801. His attention to fleeting meteorological effects anticipates the open-air paintings of countless nineteenth-century artists, including the Impressionists.