his work of the 1860s and 1870s often tended toward the panoramic and picturesque, topped by cloud-laden and threatening skies, and included views of his native country ("autumn oaks", 1878, metropolitan museum of art; "catskill mountains", 1870, art institute of chicago), as well as scenes inspired by numerous travels overseas, especially to italy and france ("the monk", 1873, addison gallery of american art; "etretat", 1875, wadsworth atheneum). in terms of composition, precision of drawing, and the emotive use of color, these paintings placed inness among the best and most successful landscape painters in america.