George Inness painted Lake Nemi during two of his visits to Italy: 1851-52 & 1870-74. During these visits, he captured the beauty of both its colors and lights in at least nine works. One such example is Lake Nemi, painted during this 1872 visit to Castel Gandolfo near the lake. The painting, described as one of his very best, was originally sold to Mr. and Mrs. A. D. Williams during his visit several years prior. In 1998 it went on auction and achieved £973,250.
The painting stands out among other notable works by Inness due to its characteristic ethereal atmosphere and stunning colors which capture the unique beauty of Lake Nemi at the time. This could only be possible through his many years working in the Hudson River School style of painting – a skill which he employed again three decades later for other great works like Early Autumn (1891) from Montclair, New Jersey.. It trulyillustrates that even after so many years working as an artist, George Inness was able to perfectly depict landscapes with extraordinary realism and lifetime detail which when looking at them takes our breath away every single time.
