It portrays a rather plain scene of a small creek in the suburbs of Philadelphia, framed by vegetation changing color. Here Moran follows the composition scheme that will be predominant for most of his career, with a creek dividing the image vertically, surrounded by trees in the foreground, creating a frame for the forest way in the background. It could be, perhaps, compared to another of Moran’s early works on Philadelphia, finished one year later: The Autumnal Woods (Under The Trees).

Set side by side, one can see a strong resemblance between the paintings, going beyond theme or composition, but also on brush stroke, color palette, and even in the way, he depicts nature. The true value of the comparison lies in understanding the changes in Moran’s technique over the year that separates the conclusion of both paintings.

Note, for example, the differences in the color palette: in this piece, there is little contrast between foreground and background, creating a smoother transition of the depth of field, while on the later work this contrast has been heightened, making it seem that between the foreground trees and the background forest there is a thick fog. While this makes for more dramatic setting, it also makes the painting bolder and more aggressive. Such an observation is valid, in fact, to the entirety of the color choices in the later painting, which are considerably brighter and more vivid.

As such, we are offered with a window into Moran’s early studies and attempts at finding his style, inspired by the zeitgeist of his time. That is not to say that these early years produced work that is in any way inferior, but instead that it has to be understood as part of a wider continuum, which in itself is of great value to the admirer of landscape art.