Approaching Thunder Storm

Painted in 1859, this scene by Martin Johnson Heade freezes a moment most of us know well, that uneasy hush when a storm is about to hit. The sky has darkened to a deep slate gray, the water below turned nearly black as it mirrors the heavy clouds. A single white sail catches the last bit of light and seems to glow against all that gloom. On the shore, a man sits with his dog, oddly relaxed, as if he has not yet noticed the weather bearing down on him. The gap between his calm and the drama building above is what gives the picture its quiet power.

Heade had a loose link to the Hudson River School, the American painters famous for their sweeping, dramatic views of nature. His own approach was softer and more brooding, and he kept coming back to coastal scenes, shifting light, and the tension of changing weather. For many years his work was ignored, and quite a few of his paintings gathered dust until collectors brought him back into the spotlight during the twentieth century. Today this piece stands out as one of his best, a small study of nature caught holding its breath.