The artwork titled “Burning Oil Well at Night, near Rouseville, Pennsylvania,” was created by James Hamilton in 1861. This piece belongs to the Romanticism art movement and falls under the landscape genre.
In this dramatic nocturnal scene, a blazing inferno engulfs a distant oil well, casting a mesmerizing glow over the surrounding landscape. The sky is dominated by a full moon, which contrasts starkly with the fiery reds and oranges of the burning oil well. Voluminous plumes of smoke and fire pierce the darkened sky, giving a sense of the uncontrolled power of the blaze. Silhouettes of barren trees and distant figures are bathed in the eerie light, enhancing the chaotic and almost apocalyptic mood of the scene. The stark contrast between the serene moonlit night and the violent, untamed fire exemplifies the Romantic fascination with the sublime forces of nature.
