Transcendence in James Reynolds' Old Age Landscapes

Abstract

Some gerontological theories suggest a turn toward philosophical transcendence in positive adjustment to old age. If this is true, one should expect such a turn to be manifest in the work of at least some artists who are active in old age. This essay argues that the late landscape paintings of James Reynolds exhibit just such a shift. Reynolds should be included among those few artists whose old age work presents convincing evidence of a distinctive old age style.