Hudson River School 19th Century American Art
Ideas + Infuences 1st coherent school of American art Shaped mythos of American landscape Prevalent genre of 19th century American art Roots in European Romanticism Define a distinct vision for American art Sense of awe for natural resources and optimism for potential Depicted a New World wilderness Man, small beside vastness of creation, retained a divine spark HR painters believed art to be an agent of moral and spiritual transformation “Luminists” experimented with effects of light on water and sky
2 Great Painters Thomas Cole ( )Asher B. Duran ( )
The Oxbow, 1836 Thomas Cole
A View of Fort Putnam, 1825 Thomas Cole
Progress (The Advance of Civilization), 1860 Asher B. Durand
Sunday Morning, 1860 Asher B. Durand
Kindred Spirits, Asher B. Durand - Durand and Cole depicted together - A broken tree stump = Hudson River School’s symbolic reminder that life is fragile - Humans are tiny, yet elevated by grandeur of landscape