Art Talk: NGA Hudson River School Tour

Like the Impressionists in France in the mid 19th century The Hudson River School was also painting En plein air.

These were a group of New York City based artists that painted American landscapes, mostly in the Hudson River Valley starting in the 1850s. They also branched out to other places like South America and the American West.

They were heavily influenced by Romanticism, which emphasized emotion and individualism and glorified the past and nature.

In general, Hudson River School artists believed that nature in the form of the American landscape was a reflection of God, though they varied in the depth of their religious conviction.

Autumn-On the Hudson River
Jasper Francis Cropsey, 1860

This is one of the most stunning paintings I have seen in person. The size and details are two things that really set it a part.

It is enormous- 151.8 x 274.9 cm (59 3/4 x 108 1/4 in.).
To compare Monet's Japanese Footbridge (which we saw last week) is 81.3 x 101.6 cm (32 x 40 in.) It is just about double the size.

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The detail in this painting is astounding. The men and the dogs is barely noticeable in the original painting. They are lounging next the the trees in the center of the painting so the people would believe it was real.

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Another great thing about this painting is that the artist painted it from memory in his studio in London. He displayed North American leaves along side the painting.

The Hudson River Valley is in New York State. It is the area surrounding the Hudson River which runs from New York City in the south to Albany in the north.

They also depict the American landscape as a pastoral setting, where human beings and nature coexist peacefully. Hudson River School landscapes are characterized by their realistic, detailed, and sometimes idealized portrayal of nature, often juxtaposing peaceful agriculture and the remaining wilderness which was fast disappearing from the Hudson Valley just as it was coming to be appreciated for its qualities of ruggedness and sublimity

Thomas Cole was the groups founder, leader and "father" and he was also the teacher of Frederic Edwin Church.

The National Gallery of Art has Thomas Cole's The Voyage of Life which is a group of four paintings beautifully set up in the museum in a circular fashion. It shows the journey of "man" on the river of life.

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Frederic Edwin Church

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Albert Bierstadt

Beirstadt and Church were the most successful painters in the Hudson River Group. They both painted landscapes on a grand school.

Lake Lucerne
Albert Bierstadt, 1858

Below is Lake Lucerne close up, far away and with my mom when she came to visit me in 2005. Albert Bierstadt is her favorite artist. And for that reason I also have an affinity for him.

Mount Cocoran
Albert Bierstadt, 1876-1877

Martin Johnson Heade

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There you have another tour of the National Gallery of Art.

I first gave this tour in 2004 to friends in DC.

How are you liking these museum tours and highlights?

Sources
NGA- Jasper Francis Cropsey
NGA- Frederic Edwin Church
MET- Hudson River School
NGA- Autumn-On the Hudson River
Wikipedia- Hudson River School
Martin Johnson Heade
Wikipedia- Romanticism

Art Talk Series Highlights

2020
Art Talk: Recycled Plastic Art Movement
Art Talk: Gates of Paradise

Italian Renaissance
Art Talk: NGA Italian Renaissance Tour
Art Talk: Raphael
Art Talk: Venus
Art Talk: Egg Tempera
Art Talk: Guest Blogger, @laurabellamy

French Impressionism
Art Talk: NGA French Impressionism Tour
Art Talk: Fredric Bazille
Art Talk: The Mother and Sister of the Artist
Art Talk: En plein air