The Hudson River School name describes the mid-19th century movement of American landscape painters. This new group of landscape artists emerged from tensions between the well-established older generation of artists, born before 1835, who were favored by the American art organization the National Academy of Design and considered traditional artists, and the younger generation of artists who returned to the US after training in Europe. These new artists focused on figural art and established themselves as representational artists in their own country. This period is later called American Neo-Classicism (1765–1860). Thomas Cole (1801–1848) is often regarded as the father or inspiration of this movement. Although he did not organize the movement himself, he was the teacher of later prominent artists such as Frederic Edwin Church (1826–1900) and Albert Bierstadt (1830–1902). Alongside the new leader inspired by Cole, Asher Brown Durand (1796–1886), they led the second generation of the landscape school. Durand served as president of the National Academy of Design and published a series of “Letters on Landscape Painting” to teach young landscape artists in New York the standards and principles of landscape drawing and painting. Collectively, artists like Frederic Edwin Church, Thomas Cole, Jasper Francis Cropsey, and Asher Brown Durand followed Thomas Cole’s legacy. They inspired a new wave of landscape painters focused on exploring beyond the American land and untouched wilderness. According to Durand, they aimed to learn from the “humble nature.” The paintings below represent the works of the Hudson River School movement. These artists did not necessarily live near or paint the Hudson River or its surrounding areas, but they were inspired by Cole’s nature paintings and employed similar techniques and styles to reveal America's landscape beauty. In some ways, their work encouraged viewers to love and explore the US rather than seeking European landscapes.
Asher Brown Durand, The Beeches, 1845
Medium: Oil on canvas
Object Number: 15.30.59
Asher Brown Durand was heavily inspired and influenced by the well-known landscape painter Thomas Cole. Durand and his companion, Luman Reed, both focused their attention and efforts on painting landscapes. Even though the painters were learning many things from Cole’s painting, they spent much time outside, drawing the landscapes of America, England, and other places. After being inspired by another painting master John Constable, Durand deepens his identity as a naturalist and landscape painter of “…Hudson River, then in the Adirondacks and New England.
When you first look at The Beeches by Brown Durand, you notice the contrast between the dark forest and the surrounding nature, with bright yellow light focused on where the shepherd and his sheep are headed. Durand emphasizes the shepherd and the flock by using different color values. You can see the contrast between cool and warm colors; for example, the blue sky and mountains, along with dark and lighter greens for the leaves, brown, and some black, contrast with the warm whitish clouds, yellow shades of grass, and the shepherd and his sheep with a bright red bag. This creates a unified color scheme; as you move closer to the shepherd, the colors become warmer, while they grow cooler the farther away you move. This gradient directs your eyes straight to the warm and comforting colors of the shepherd and his flock.
Thomas Cole, View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm—The Oxbow, 1836
Medium: Oil on canvas
Object Number: 08.228
Thomas Cole, as mentioned before, is the inspiration behind the Hudson River School movement, representing a new generation of New York landscape artists in America. Interestingly, Cole himself is not American; he is an immigrant from England, and his family moved to Pennsylvania in 1801. After becoming discouraged with his career in wallpaper making, which his father started, Cole was inspired by traveling artists to pursue painting. He moved through different cities and states before settling near the Hudson River in New York. That area inspired him and his artwork, leading him to focus more on depicting the diverse and beautiful landscapes of America.
The "Oxbow" painting of the Connecticut River depicts the contrast between the calm, peaceful nature on the right and the raging storm on the left. On the right, there's a field filled with produce and indigenous people enjoying themselves, with nature and people flourishing together under warm sunlight that conveys hope and peace. On the left, a destructive storm with lightning, strong winds, and heavy rain threatens the surrounding nature, creating a sense of impending danger. Many interpret Cole’s painting as illustrating the relationship between America's modernization and development—bringing progress and profit—yet also causing destruction to the environment and indigenous communities who live there, compared to the untouched, thriving landscape and people. This painting is somewhat historic in this way because it reflects the tension between developing the U.S. to become more efficient and profitable, and the harm inflicted on the environment, nature, and native populations in the process.
Frederic Edwin Church, Heart of the Andes, 1859,
Medium: Oil on canvas,
Object Number: 09.95
Frederick Edwin Church was one of the most well-known artists and a notable representative of the Hudson River School of landscape painting. He was born into a privileged and affluent household, where his father was a jeweler and banker in Hartford. Joseph Church, Frederick's father, played a significant role in his son's artistic career by persuading the famous Thomas Cole to accept Frederick as an intern and pupil to learn landscape painting from him. Later, Cole even mentioned that Church possessed a very good vision and skills for drawing.
"Heart of the Andes" was created after Church traveled through South America, specifically Ecuador. This painting combines various locations that Church sketched during his visit, creating a scene that does not exist in real life. The composition was designed to depict the diversity of Ecuador’s climate, ranging from jungles and hot tropical zones to cold, icy, snowy mountains. This painting truly showcases the variety and beauty of American landscapes, aiming to instill pride or nationalism in Americans—or at least foster appreciation for the nature around them.
Albert Bierstadt, The Rocky Mountains, Lander's Peak, 1863,
Medium: Oil on canvas,
Object Number: 07.123
Albert Bierstadt was inspired by the Düsseldorf Academy in Germany. There, he learned his dramatic and highly detailed style of painting, which he later applied to his landscape artworks. The Rocky Mountains painting was created from Bierstadt’s sketches during a government expedition led by Frederick W. Lander to the Nebraska Territory and later Wyoming. This painting depicts an ordinary day for the Shoshone people, the indigenous inhabitants of that area. On the right side, Shoshone people are shown enjoying and celebrating their catch and fellowship. On the left, adults and children are resting and playing near their tents. In the center, Bierstadt highlights a waterfall bathed in golden sunlight, evoking feelings of peace and belonging, with majestic, icy mountains in the background—showcasing the contrast Bierstadt is known for and trained in. Historically, the painting emphasizes the idea—and the reality of the American mindset—that they are eager to claim and rule over the land, often ignoring the Indigenous people who live there. This artwork underscores that this land belongs to the Shoshone tribe and that it is their home.
Jasper Francis Cropsey, The Valley of Wyoming, 1865,
Medium: Oil on canvas,
Object Number: 66.113
The Valley of Wyoming was painted for the New York Elevated Railroad Company, which originated in Pennsylvania’s Wyoming Valley. Cropsey created this painting after the Civil War to serve as a reminder of America's past and present tragedies. In this case, Cropsey was depicting and memorializing the slaughter of American settlers in that region. We can see the simple life of the people in that valley. For example, there is a man resting under a tree, and on the far left, there’s a depiction of a house that is actually a recreation of the president of the New York Elevated Railroad Company. Jasper Francis Cropsey was one of the painters who adopted the Hudson River School style of landscape painting, which often features warm, golden light to emphasize the main subject and the surrounding atmosphere. He was also among the artists who went inland and along the coast during the Civil War to escape urban life and explore the natural landscape around him.
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