Hudson River School - Romanticising Landscapes

 The Hudson River School is a group of artists who emerged from New York. Some have called them the first true artistic fraternity. Led by Thomas Cole, who immigrated from Lancaster in England. Lancaster was a port town and was becoming increasingly industrial during the time that Thomas lived there. Thomas began to grow tired of England's rapid industrial development and the resulting damage to its landscape. Cole moved to America with his family in 1818, when he was 17 years old. Captivated by the natural beauty of America, he deemed it the natural Eden compared to foul-smelling, smog-filled industrial England. Cole started to paint the landscapes he saw around him, mostly of the Hudson River valley, and he started to gain recognition in New York. He moved to New York in 1825 because he was so impressed with the Art scene. He inspired other artists from around the New York area who were also inspired by the natural beauty in America and around the world. The School was not an actual academy but a movement of like-minded artists who travelled, gathered, and exhibited their work together. Cole and his followers were inspired by the European Romantic movement and sought to capture the beauty and spirituality of nature through meticulous, large-scale paintings. Thomas Cole passed in 1848, when he was just 47 years old. However, his legacy was kept alive by Asher B. Durand, who became acknowledged as the Hudson River School's leader. Durand further codified the style through his "Letters on Landscape Painting" and his presidency of the National Academy of Design. The name "The Hudson River School" was not used by the artists themselves, but was coined later, in the 1870s, as their movement began to lose popularity, to describe the group's style and geographical origin. Although these painters were based in America, many of them travelled the world observing and appreciating landscapes from many different continents. The Hudson River School artists wanted to romanticise landscapes for Americans, so they put value on natural beauty.

The Oxbow, Thomas Cole, 1836, Medium: Oil on canvas, Dimensions: 51 1/2 x 76 in. Object No: 08.228. The Oxbow, painted by the Hudson River School founder and main leader, Thomas Cole, demonstrates his dilemma between how humans should try to innovate to thrive and to preserve natural beauty. The way the painting is split in two, with one side showing the drama and unpredictability of nature, and the need for humans to develop and innovate. Thimas puts himself in the middle of the painting in the foreground to show how he is conflicted on this issue. Having seen the damage that the Industrial Revolution had on the landscape in England, yet seeing the need for human progression.

In the Woods, Asher B. Durand, 1855, Medium: Oil on Canvas, Dimensions: 60 3/4 x 48 in. Object No: 95.13.1. Asher B. Durand took over the leadership of The Hudson River School from Thomas Cole in 1848, who was the founder. Unlike Thomas, Asher was born in America but did travel outside the US, too. This painting is based on sketches from the New York Catskills Mountains. These mountains are a feature of the Hudson River School because they are just North of the city. Durand is trying to celebrate the shadowy solitude of the deep woods by using inviting hues and peaceful scenery. The trees that lean and twist in the background, forming a leafy canopy, are the natural equivalent of a cathedral, showing the spirituality of nature. 

On the Hudson, Thomas Doughty, 1830-35, Medium: Oil on Canvas, Dimensions 14 3/4 x 21 in. Object number 91.27.1. Once again, this painting is from the Catskill Mountains in New York State, although Doughty pays homage to the English landscapes through the character of this painting. He travelled to England and Europe in 1837 and in 1845. Thomas Doughty was one of the first to recognise American landscapes as a viable subject, and he almost exclusively painted landscapes. Thomas paints these landscapes in a very romantic fashion. He loves to blend meticulous detail with soft, illuminating light to highlight the river's serenity.

The Return, Thomas Cole, 1837, Medium: Oil on Canvas, Dimensions: 39 1/2 x 63 9/16 in. Object No: 2014.79.12. This is an example of Thomas painting scenery that isn't in America. This was one of a pair of paintings that served as a backdrop for a medieval tale set in the UK. Because America was such a new country, the Middle Ages fascinated the Americans, and here Thomas is playing into that by romanticising this time and the scenery. This painting depicts defeated knights returning at dusk carrying their dying Lord. Despite the weary image of the trudging soldiers, the sunset hues give a warm, welcoming feeling when you look at this artwork, similar to The Oxbow.

The Heart of the Andes, Frederic Edwin Church, 1859, Medium: Oil on Canvas, Dimensions: 66 1/8 x 120 3/16 in. Object No: 09.95. Frederic is also an American-born artist, and Cole stated that Church had "the finest eye for drawing in the world." His Father had immigrated from England and was a Puritan Pioneer. His Father's Wealth allowed him to pursue his passions, and so he became a student of Thomas Cole when he was just 18. This is evident by the similar hue Church has to Cole. Church travelled to South America in 1853 and 1857, after Cole had passed. This painting was created from scores of pencil and oil sketches.

A View of Venice, Thomas Moran, 1891, Medium: Oil on Canvas, Dimensions: 35 1/8 x 25 1/4 in. Object No: 1968.120.1. Thomas Moran was also a key figure of the Hudson River School and the Rocky Mountain School. He is most famous for his landscapes of the American West, which aimed to influence conservation efforts for places like Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon, seeking to bring these landscapes to national attention. However, Moran, in the late 1870s and 1880s, travelled all over Europe and first landed in Venice in 1886. Moran found Venice to be an "inexhaustible mine of pictorial treasures." Moran's visit and engagement with Venice gave a new life of creative spirit to Moran and resulted in this significant work that cemented the city's image as a romantic refuge in the American mind.