Nelson Gray Kinsley, Roe Deer in the Woods, 1890s, Oil on Canvas

Roe Deer in the Woods – Nelson Gray Kinsley (1863 – 1945)

Work measurements: 36 x 59 cm
Measurements with frame: 45 x 68 cm
Technique: oil on canvas
Period: 1910s

In the woods, spring is upon us: the snow has completely melted and the first tufts of green grass have grown. Two female roe deer, still with their winter coat, graze on the first shoots. Soon these elegant and silent animals will change color and adorn themselves with a lively fawn coat, the adult females will give birth to their young, while the young males will compete for the territory.

In this painting Kinsley “photographs” an instant of life in the woods with his brushes. But it’s only a moment, a roe deer has noticed a foreign presence and is observing us. The slightest noise and in a flash both animals will have disappeared from our sight.

Nelson Gray Kinsley (born 14 July 1863 in Canton, Massachusetts; died 2 May 1945 in Kronberg im Taunus)
He was an American painter of landscapes, hunting and animals

After Kinsley’s father died, her mother went on a long trip to Europe with her two children.
In 1874 the family settled in Frankfurt am Main and at the intercession of Adolf Hoeffler, Kinsley received lessons from Anton Burger in Kronberg from 1878 onwards, at the age of 15. Here he joined the community that his teacher Burger had started.
from 1882 to 1884 he received private lessons at the Düsseldorf Art Academy, also from Christian Kröner.

Before attending the Karlsruhe Art Academy in 1884, he married Louise Burger, a daughter of his teacher Burger. Kinsley was a pupil of Hermann Baisch in Karlsruhe in 1887/91.

In 1897 Kinsley returned to Kronberg and settled there. Here he created his paintings, mostly small format, in his favorite genre: landscapes, hunting and animal paintings.