You’ve probably seen some of these paintings before. They’re detailed, realistic and idealized portrayals of the American wilderness that are not only an excellent look into 1850s America but a useful tool for interpreting contemporary culture.
The Hudson River school is an art movement that emerged in the mid 19th century. It is named for its origin in the Hudson River Valley area of New York but it quickly built a presence across all of New England. The location of the movement is central to an understanding of it due to its focus on the beauty and sanctity of nature. Prominent painters of the Hudson River school style saw North America as a manifestation of God and their art was just as much a religious expression as it was an appreciation …show more content…
They believed that the urbanization of the land they held so dear was a bad thing and wanted to preserve the beauty of the American wilderness. They expressed this political position by painting idealized landscapes. Visions of how they believed the world should look like - the state of things they thought was best. Society and art have changed a lot since the mid 19th century but art that subverts the times by presenting how the artist thinks things should be are nothing new and exists to this day. Today many people create in a way that that reflects the Hudson River school. Artists who desire social progress create art that portrays a world where people of all religions and ethnicities exist peacefully. Artists who value environmentalism paint peaceful landscapes, so on and so …show more content…
This, combined with a tendency to travel to extreme environments and make outlines to save for painting later made the works of the second generation of the movement impressive.
Unfortunately the Hudson River school was all but forgotten by 1900 for a number of reasons. After the Civil War, American art took on more characteristics from continental european art such as French impressionism. Landscape painting receded in popularity, was replaced by figure painting and the Hudson River school lie all but forgotten until a revival of appreciation in the late 20th century. Today the movement remains obscure to the general public but there is a presence of Hudson River school Art in many prominent museums across America.
The era of the Hudson River school will be remembered as an underappreciated yet beautiful period in art history. It will forever remain in its time as a picture of a humble group of men finding their place in the wilderness of their country.
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The Hudson River school is an art movement that emerged in the mid 19th century. It is named for its origin in the Hudson River Valley area of New York but it quickly built a presence across all of New England. The location of the movement is central to an understanding of it due to its focus on the beauty and sanctity of nature. Prominent painters of the Hudson River school style saw North America as a manifestation of God and their art was just as much a religious expression as it was an appreciation …show more content…
They believed that the urbanization of the land they held so dear was a bad thing and wanted to preserve the beauty of the American wilderness. They expressed this political position by painting idealized landscapes. Visions of how they believed the world should look like - the state of things they thought was best. Society and art have changed a lot since the mid 19th century but art that subverts the times by presenting how the artist thinks things should be are nothing new and exists to this day. Today many people create in a way that that reflects the Hudson River school. Artists who desire social progress create art that portrays a world where people of all religions and ethnicities exist peacefully. Artists who value environmentalism paint peaceful landscapes, so on and so …show more content…
This, combined with a tendency to travel to extreme environments and make outlines to save for painting later made the works of the second generation of the movement impressive.
Unfortunately the Hudson River school was all but forgotten by 1900 for a number of reasons. After the Civil War, American art took on more characteristics from continental european art such as French impressionism. Landscape painting receded in popularity, was replaced by figure painting and the Hudson River school lie all but forgotten until a revival of appreciation in the late 20th century. Today the movement remains obscure to the general public but there is a presence of Hudson River school Art in many prominent museums across America.
The era of the Hudson River school will be remembered as an underappreciated yet beautiful period in art history. It will forever remain in its time as a picture of a humble group of men finding their place in the wilderness of their country.
Google doodle