“Stop to see a defiant Rip Van Winkle, just awake from his 20-year sleep, confronting a town that no longer knows him. This painting vividly captures the dramatic moment of his bewildering return.”
In this dramatic painting, a bewildered Rip Van Winkle stands at the center, gesturing emphatically towards a slumped figure, his son, as he confronts suspicious townsfolk. Awaking after a 20-year sleep in the Catskill Mountains, Rip struggles to regain his footing in a world that no longer recognizes him. Unlike many other portrayals that emphasize his age and confusion, this version casts Rip as strong and defiant, a man actively trying to reclaim his identity. The artist, John Bornet, known for his imaginative interpretations of Washington Irving's popular tales, brings a genuine flair for drama to this scene. He captures the tension and confusion of the moment, making us feel Rip's desperate attempt to connect with a community that has moved on without him.
- Artist
- John Bornet
- Date
- 1829
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Location
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Dimensions
- 69.9 × 87.3 cm (27 1/2 × 34 3/8 in.)
- Collection
- Arts of the Americas
- Culture
- United States
- Credit line
- George F. Harding Collection
What to Notice
Five details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.
Rip's forceful gesture, pointing towards his son.
The suspicious, wary expressions of the townsfolk.
Rip's son, slumped against a tree, seemingly oblivious.
The rugged, dark Catskill Mountains in the background.
1 more detail is waiting.
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John Bornet
1810–1910John Bornet, active across centuries, is known for works like the 1961 'Target' and the 1943 'Nightlife' at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Further Works by Bornet
Stoke-by-Nayland
1836 · Art Institute of Chicago
Renganeschi's Saturday Night
1912 · Art Institute of Chicago
Nightlife
Art Institute of Chicago
Nude on a Table
Art Institute of Chicago
Saint John the Evangelist
Art Institute of Chicago
Castle Garden, New York
1851 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Bust of a Youth (Saint John the Baptist)
Art Institute of Chicago
Head of Executioner, from John Evelyn's Sculptura
Art Institute of Chicago
More works to explore
Beyond Bornet: works from the same years.
Same era · 1810s–1840s
The Estuary Farm
Léon-Victor Dupré · 1831 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1810s–1840s
The Loretto Necklace
J. M. W. Turner · 1829 · National Gallery
Same era · 1810s–1840s
The Combat of the Giaour and Hassan
Eugène Delacroix · 1826 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1810s–1840s
The Fortune Teller (La Bonne Aventure)
Jacques-Louis David · 1824 · Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Same era · 1810s–1840s
Amédée-David, the Comte de Pastoret
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres · 1823 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1810s–1840s
Saturn Devouring His Son
Francisco Goya · 1820 · Museo del Prado
Same era · 1810s–1840s
Two Men Contemplating the Moon
Caspar David Friedrich · 1819 · Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden
Same era · 1810s–1840s
Young Woman
Jean-François Millet · 1844 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1810s–1840s
Mr. James Mackie
Samuel Alcock & Company · 1830 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1810s–1840s
The Captive Slave (Ira Aldridge)
John Philip Simpson · 1827 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1810s–1840s
The Five Points
Artist Unknown - The Mercat Cross, Aberdeen · 1822 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1810s–1840s
Conflagration of the Masonic Hall, Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Samuel Jones · 1819 · Art Institute of Chicago