Palisades Underpass

Characterized by brilliant color and light, Van Dearing Perrine’s landscapes earned him the nickname “the Thoreau of the Palisades.” The artist was born in Garnett, Kansas and experienced hardship early in life after the death of his father left his family impoverished. A young Perrine worked as a farm hand, plasterer, and lather, and often traveled along the railroads. In 1893, Perrine moved to New York where he studied at the Cooper Institute and National Academy of Design. At this time, he began sketching from nature on the property of James E. Maxfield, an American painter and illustrator, in Ridgefield,