“Landscape with Waterwheel and Boy Fishing,” created by George Caleb Bingham in 1853, is an exemplary work rendered in oil on canvas. This piece exemplifies the art movements of Romanticism and Naïve Art (Primitivism). Measuring 76.2 by 63.82 centimeters, the landscape painting is housed at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
The artwork depicts a serene countryside scene, featuring a waterwheel beside a modest stone building. The boy, engaged in fishing, lends a peaceful human element to the tranquil landscape. Lush greenery and the gentle flow of water under a bright, clear sky dominate the background, embodying the Romantic era’s idealization of nature and simplicity. The painting captures a moment of idyllic rural life with precision and a sense of nostalgia, characteristic of Bingham’s style and the Romantic ethos.
