Swamp Maple (4:30)

Alex Katz

Oil on linen

National Gallery of Art

This monumental landscape painting captures a solitary swamp maple tree vertically bisecting a dreamlike scene of muted yellows, greens, and grays, inspired by the 4:30 PM light in Maine where Katz has summered since 1954. Born in Brooklyn in 1927 and trained at Cooper Union and the Skowhegan School, Katz developed his distinctive style of simplified forms and flat color planes during the height of Abstract Expressionism, bridging figurative art and abstraction. At nearly 12 feet tall, this work rivals the scale of Abstract Expressionist masterpieces while capturing the ephemeral quality of late afternoon light with memorable and puzzling color choices—a tan sky, white reflections in green water—that make it a captivating conversation piece for any space.