Hudson River & other Americans II, Russians II

The next installment of the Band's SocialGalactic art posts is another collection of American and Russian paintings with their original comments. The comments are short and pithy due to character limits that have to include titles and hashtags. We've dropped the hashtags but otherwise resisted the urge to expand the texts. The disciplined brevity is part of the appeal of the platform. And we aren't interested in pretending our blather can rival the beauties it accompanies.

Julius Klever, House by the River, 1900

The groupings are the same as last time. The Hudson River School leads off with an expanded roster. Moran has a glorious energy that puts him in the Bierstadt-Church wing and Bricher and Gifford have a still perfection that's almost classical. Other American artists follow. The line between the two groups isn't always that clear - tons of artists seem to have connected with them at some time and their influence was all over. There also isn't really a formal ending. We separate out the artists who were central pillars of the School then put the others later. A couple of Canadians sneak in here too. Then come the Russians. Kondratenko joins Klever, Aivazovsky, and Shishkin with a vision of the land that is somehow raw and refined at the same time.

Hudson River School

You can see the original school of Cole and Durand divide into two wings. The more famous today is the dramatic Romantic wing of Bierstadt, Church, and Moran. The first two still get a nod in the summaries as indicating the appearance of a distinct American art before being eclipsed by Modernism. This is obviously false, but recognizing the false doesn't indicate the true. And the truth is that the Hudson School had a calm, still, sometimes crystalline branch that looks almost classical. Gifford and Bricher have been pleasing discoveries.

Putting the two wings together shows us just how creative and innovative the Hudson River School was. No wonder they were influential. You can also see the connections between them better. When a group of artists share a studio and get along personally, there is constant communication between them. Reconnecting with this painting reminds us - or shows us - the preciousness of the land and it's intrinsic tie to the metaphysical. The globalist beast system demands you wallow in inverted formless ugliness. We offer a better way.

Thomas Moran, The Golden Hour, 1875

Lot of darkness about, so time for something glorious.

Like this blazing sunset that enhances the majesty of the Green River, Wyoming landscape to an almost supernatural level.

Alfred Thompson Bricher, Seascape, 19th century

Peaceful New England coastal landscape by an American painter.

It doesn’t look like there is a lot happening, but the subtle blending of tones in the water is remarkable.

Albert Bierstadt, Minnehaha Falls, 19th century

Good morning SG

A pleasant wooded scene with a darker foreground and light in the back to draw your eye into depth.

There’s lots of detail hidden in the shadows though.

Thomas Moran, Golden Gate, Yellowstone National Park, 1893

Spectacular mountain landscape by an American painter.

Contrast between the dark, detailed front & lighter back pulls the eye in & makes it seem more spacious.

Alfred Thompson Bricher, View of Mount Washington, 1864

American painter captures that unique feeling of the misty early morning light on the water.

A time that’s worth getting up early for, even when you don’t have to.

Frederic Edwin Church, Twilight In The Adirondacks, 19th century

Small but spacious landscape from an American master.

The style is rougher than his larger works, but the sunset glow is warm & the social isolation glorious.

Sanford Gifford, A Coming Storm over Lake George, 1863

Hudson River painter with some timeless beauty for the current mood.

Gifford is more understated than Church or Bierstadt, but his atmosphere & reflections are sublime.

Frederic Edwin Church, View of Cotopaxi, 1857

Since we aren’t travelling, a fantastical view of an Ecuadorian by a Hudson River School master.

The landscape is epic in grandeur, but accessible up close

Sanford Robinson Gifford, Sunset over New York Bay, 1873

Tranquil sunset.

Earlier times are appealing, but came with discomfort & disease.

Are the harsh & the beautiful a cultural package deal? Two sides of logos perhaps.

Albert Bierstadt, After Glow The Glory of the Heavens, 1889

Late work by an American master prepares us for summer.

Hiding the setting sun behind the outcropping lets him explore all the color tones on the water.

Sanford Gifford, Isola Bella in Lago Maggiore, 1871

Hudson River School painter captures golden light on a placid Italian lake.

Could be evening but we’ll call it sunrise. Muted colors dim the glare & and make it quiet.

Frederic Edwin Church, Above the Clouds at Sunrise, 1849

Sublime American master shows the clarity & beauty of the morning light on high ground.

In a world wrapped in cloud, the right perspective reveals what’s True.

Worthington Whittredge, Evening in the Woods, 1876

American painter captures not just the lighting but the feel of twilight in the woods.

The last light comes through the foliage, turning green to gray.

Frederic Edwin Church, New England Landscape, 1847

The austere beauty of the land after a long winter. A time of renewal, and necessary change.

The tiny artist in the lower right shows where these scenes came from.

Alfred Thompson Bricher, At Mount Desert Island, Maine, 19th century

Hudson River painter loved the Maine coast. The water on the beach looks real.

Sky & light are familiar if you’ve been seaside hoping the day will clear.

Americans

The influence of the Hudson River School is easy to see in painters like Baker. Later artists appear too, and a scattering of Americana. And also a couple of Canadians. They didn't have the volume of quality art like America or Russia, but there were always a few skilled practitioners.

George Caleb Bingham, Family Life on the Frontier, 1845

Painter of frontier life. Cultural strength came from the lack of fake media world & globalist institutions & we’re still coasting.

They didn’t call it social distancing.

William Bliss Baker, Quiet Winter Afternoon, 19th century

As the seasons change, a last look back at a crazy winter.

Baker paints with rough lines & streaks that come together in eye & mind to seem real.

Spring is coming.

Frederic S. Remington, The Old Stage-Coach of the Plains, 1901

In a different vein, the stark simplicity of this painter of the American West is very expressive..

Part of it is his mastery of dramatic shadow and direct action.

Julian Onderdonk, Sunlight and Shadow, 1910

We’re supposed to see the sky.

Russell Smith, Baptism in Virginia, 183

Sunday picture of historic Virginia. Smith wasn’t a technical master but captures the lush setting & communal spirit.

In an image of shared faith, the who means less than the what.

F.H. Varley, Stormy Weather, Georgian Bay, 1920

[note - from a collaborator. We like the picture]  Until the Group of 7, artists hadn’t seen the Canadian landscape as worthy of painting.

I like the way they capture the essence of the rugged Canadian wilderness.

William Bliss Baker, Woodland Brook, 19th century

Sunny, tranquil scene by an American painter who died young.

The repeating colors against light sky & dark water are typical of his naturalistic eye for detail.

Frederick Remington, Moonlight Wolf, 1909

Seminal painter of the American West with a rough realist style that was simple but expressive.

Unlike the Hudson River school, he focused on people & animals rather then landscape

Samuel Carr, School’s Out, 1880s

Some Americana in a time of school closings. And a reminder of the advantage of organic communities where you know each other.

Note the lack of hovering adults policing the children’s every move.

Hugh Bolton Jones, Springtime, 19th century

Here’s something a little lighter, but spiritually uplifting it its own way.

A simple landscape to remind us spring is coming & corona-chan is making it a less globalist one.

Frank Johnston, Advancing Spring, early 20th cent.

Canadian painter reminds us spring is on the way.

Their art developed late & tends to abstraction, but at its best captures the feel of the land. This resembles US north country.

Russians

Building on the last group. Aivazovsky really is a savant when it comes to light and water, and Klever's texture was something that fascinated us. The way he is so rough and realistic at the same time is unique. Shishkin's talents start to show through too. He's been another revelation - the rawness and realism combined with a Hudson River School-like feel for the beauty in the land.

Julius Klever, A Winter’s Evening, late 19th cent.

Russian painter with his unique blend of texture & lighting & a Sunday theme.

It’s like the snow is sprinkled on the surface while the hidden sunset creates real depth.

Julius Klever, Old Cemetery, 1920

And a painting. Russian master of texture and atmosphere with a brooding moonlit scene.

It brings Ecclesiastes to mind - a reminder that all things pass.

Ivan Aivazovsky, A Calm Morning at Sea, 1900

Peaceful morning seascape from a master of water. The ocean is like glass, and the delicate handling of the sky is perfect.

You can do a lot with a limited color range.

Gavriil Pavlovich Kondratenko, Winter Evening, 1883

Winter twilight by a Russian artist. The texture of the snow feels real & the sky looks like more on the way.

The warm lights in the windows are a nice contrast.

Ivan Aivazovsky, Venice, 1874

Calm Venetian seascape by the master of water - who was pretty good at light too.

Globalist disease and ugliness weighs on the mind, but beauty sings to the soul.

Julius Klever, House by the River, 1900

Russian master of texture & atmosphere, especially winter woodlands.

A steely sky, but there’s a warm light in the window. A good place for those of us who find “social isolation” liberating.

Ivan Aivazovsky, The Brig Mercury in the Moonlight, 1874

Historic Russian ship by the master of water. The 18 gun brig disabled & escaped 110 & 74 gun Turkish line ships in an open fight.

His translucent waves are uncanny.

Gavriil Kondratenko, Moonlit Winter Evening with Solitary Figure, 1903

As winter gives way to spring, time to clear out some of the more striking snowy scenes.

Like an almost mystical Russian vision of an inviting church.

Ivan Shishkin, Backwoods, 1872

Russian painters used think oil paints to create textured surfaces that depict the look & feel of subjects.

Backlit depth + rough bark & leaves = the illusion of space opening forward & back.

Ivan Aivazovsky, Evening in Crimea, 1895

Moonlit night from the master of water. The misty atmosphere is evocative, but the real marvel is the sea.

Aivazovsk’s ability to capture the calm turquoise translucence is uncanny.

Ivan Shishkin, Birch Grove, 1875

Sometimes a simple picture reveals deep natural beauty.

This Russian painter’s details of bark and fallen boughs, sky & play of evening light in the water signal the coming of spring.

Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin, Oaks, 1865

It’s supposed to build. This doesn’t grow overnight.

Ivan Aivazovsky, Ox Cart on the Shore, 1851

We’ll go back to back with Aivazovsky because the master of water is amazing.

Magical light makes a simple scene, well, magical. The translucent turquoise water isn’t bad either.

Ivan Aivazovsky, Brig “Mercury” Attacked by Two Turkish Ships, 1892

The master of water & a historic Russian ship. The brig disabled two much larger ships of the line to escape a Turkish fleet.

The lesson: never give up.