Morning, Looking East Over the Hudson Valley from the Catskill Mountains Frederic Edwin Church (1826-1900) Oil on canvas, 1848 AIHA Collection: Gift of Catherine Gansevoort Lansing This painting shows a view from an elevated rocky spot somewhere in the Catskills, probably near the Catskill Mountain House, where Church had sketched with his teacher Thomas Cole as early as 1844. Confidently painted, with carefully described details of rocks and vegetation and freely handled clouds, Morning was a remarkable achievement for so young a painter. In 1844, Church was the first formal pupil accepted by Thomas Cole, America's leading landscape painter. From Cole, Church learned both a reverence for nature as a subject and a commitment to making his art express noble and lofty ideas. Church made his professional debut at the National Academy of Design in 1845. By 1848, when Morning and three other of his works were exhibited at the American Art-Union, he had already gained a significant reputation.

The Rocky Mountains, Lander's Peak, 1863 Albert Bierstadt (1830–1902) American Rogers Fund, 1907 (07.123)

AIHA Collection: Gift of Mrs. Ledyard Cogswell, Jr. Lake Winnepesaukee Thomas Cole (1801-1848) Oil on canvas, 1827 or 1828 AIHA Collection: Gift of Mrs. Ledyard Cogswell, Jr.  Thomas Cole is considered to be one of the founders of the first American school of painting, known as "The Hudson River School." Lake Winnepesaukee was painted early in his career, before his first influential trip to Europe (1829-1831). The painting illustrates Cole's early desire to depict nature as wild and sublime. Lake Winnepesaukee was composed from a sketch made on a trip through the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It was shown at the National Academy of Design in 1828 and was then owned by Cole's patron, Daniel Wadsworth. It was also engraved by Cole's friend, Asher B. Durand, and published in The American Landscape by William Cullen Bryant in 1830.   ------------------------------------------------------------------------

12 of 57 Frederic Edwin Church Aurora Borealis 1865 oil 56 1/8 x 83 1/2 in. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Eleanor Blodgett An unusual natural phenomenon during the last phase of the Civil War inspired this painting. Following two Union victories, millions of Northerners witnessed the aurora borealis, or the “northern lights,” as far south as Virginia. Many believed it was a sign of the North's impending victory and some interpreted Church's dazzling Arctic aurora shielding the icebound ship as an emblem of divine salvation.

Ruined Tower Thomas Cole (1801-1848) Oil on composition board, c. 1832-36 AIHA Collection Cole's first European tour from 1829-1832 inspired new approaches to his composition technique and philosophy of art. This painting of a ruined tower was most likely done in Cole's Catskill studio following his return from Italy, using sketches of Mediterranean Coast towers made during his travels. Cole may have also taken inspiration from English artist John Constable's similarly composed painting, Hadleigh Castle (1829), a dramatic scene of desolation and ruin. Cole used the image of the tower in various allegorical paintings as symbols of society's rise and ruin. A devout Christian, Cole ultimately focused on the temporary state of human life and achievement in contrast with the dramatic power and inevitable authority of nature and God.

Dawn of Morning, Lake George Jasper Francis Cropsey (1823-1900) Oil on canvas, dated 1868 AIHA Collection Jasper Cropsey was at the height of his career in the 1860s when Dawn of Morning, Lake George was painted. With its luminous sky and background and the romantic, wild shore in the foreground, this painting depicts Cropsey's notion of the ideal American landscape, with the solitary Native American hunter in the wilderness. Trained as an architect, Jasper Cropsey studied watercolor and life drawing at the National Academy of Design and had turned exclusively to landscape painting by 1845. By the late 1850s and early 1860s he had begun to specialize in paintings of the autumn landscape in the Northeast, often idealized and notable for his use of vivid colors.

An Old Man's Reminiscences Asher B. Durand (1796-1886) Oil on canvas, 1845 AIHA Collection: Gift of the Gallery of Fine Arts An Old Man's Reminiscences is a tapestry of nostalgic, idealistic memories painted during the height of the industrialization of America. From the shelter of the woods, an old man gazes out upon scenes that were typical of rural agrarian life in the Northeast in the first half of the 19th century. Children are playing hoop and other games in fields near the schoolhouse. Cattle graze near the bank of the stream and farmers are haying. Two men fish in the stream, and a young couple sit under a tree. Durand and Thomas Cole were close friends, and they often hiked and sketched together in the Catskill and Adirondack Mountains. Upon Cole's death in 1848, Durand became the acknowledged leader of the Hudson River School and was an active member of the artistic community throughout his career.

Distant View of Albany William M. Hart (1823-1894) Oil on canvas, 1849 AIHA Collection William Hart, like his brother James, was a leading member of the second generation Hudson River School artists. Distant View of Albany is a fine example of Hart's early work. The quality of light and subtle use of color, especially the grey-green trees in the landscapes is in sharp contrast with the bright blue sky. It was painted in 1849 for the American Art-Union. The Hudson River and Albany's distinctive skyline are clearly visible in the background.

The Adirondacks James McDonald Hart (1828-1891) Oil on canvas, 1861 AIHA Collection James Hart's large, impressive landscapes painted during the 1860s are noted for their meticulous attention to detail, soft gentle colors, and light-filled skies. These idyllic scenes of nature (note the three frolicking bears) glorified the conception of the American wilderness and were eagerly sought by collectors.

Storm King on the Hudson Homer Dodge Martin (1836-1897) Oil on canvas, 1862 AIHA Collection: Gift of the estate of Anna Vandenburg Born and raised in Albany, Homer Dodge Martin was encouraged to pursue an artistic career by Albany sculptor, Erastus Dow Palmer (1817-1904). During the early 1860s, Martin spent his summers in the Catskills, Adirondacks or White Mountains and composed expansive lake and mountain views such as this in his New York City studio each winter. Martin's early luminist style, as seen in this view of Storm King Mountain in the lower Hudson Valley, is evidence of his admiration for the work of John Frederick Kensett. A transitional figure in American landscapes during the second half of the 19th century, Homer Dodge Martin links the painters of the Hudson River School to the American followers of the French Barbizon artists and eventually Impressionism. ------------------------------------------------------------------------