William Keith (Scottish-American, 1838-1911), Forest Landscape

Oil on canvas, signed at lower left, presented in a later gilt frame.

Stretcher size 16 1/4 x 20 3/4 in.; Frame dimensions 21 3/4 x 25 3/4 in.

William Keith was a Scottish-American landscape painter best known for his poetic, atmospheric views of the American West. Born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, he immigrated to the United States as a child and later settled in California, where the landscapes of Yosemite, Mount Tamalpais, and Northern California became central to his work. Influenced by the Barbizon School and Tonalist aesthetics, Keith moved from detailed realism toward a more expressive, spiritual approach to nature. He was closely associated with naturalist John Muir and is regarded as one of the most important early landscape painters of California, with works held in major museum collections.

Age cracking, associated fill to traction cracks, flaking with associated retouch.