This collection could be called the America Show, with an equal split between the Hudson River School and other artists. The Hudson River School was a big group that ran several generations and was the dominant force in 19th century American painting. Numerous artists are "borderline" cases - painters who had some connection with or influence from the group without being full-blown members. It means there are some judgement calls. But that's not inaccurate given the historical impact of the group.
Sanford Robinson Gifford, Wilderness, 1860
If there's one theme coming through it's the land. To be expected with the Hudson River School, but landscape themes were prevalent in other artists too. The country was too big, the west too newly opened, and the vistas too grand to be ignored. It's not that there weren't other types of paintings - it's that the landscape is where the Americans first came into their own.
Hudson River School
The subtext of this group could be called Hudson River lighting because range of effects are on display. Eventually the later Hudson river masters morph into something called Luminism - like all modernisms, arty self-indulgence over beauty. But before it crosses that line the glaze of light is can be magic. You'll see it here.
The main figures are here. We decided Herzog made the cut, Silva and Martin are with the general Americans. Herzog spent his early career in Germany, but committed whole-heartedly when in America. The others were more tangential, and followed their own paths. What comes through here is the sublimity of this movement - the providential fingerprints in the glory of creation are never nearer.
Great American sunset with the Hudson River’s School’s master of subtle lighting and quiet moods.
The dark foreground is a solid anchor in a glorious haze of light.
John Frederick Kensett, Sunset in the Adirondacks, 1859
Hudson River School painter fills this tropical sunrise with blazing light.
Church blended study of real places with fantasy elements to make uniquely sublime landscapes.
Frederic Edwin Church, The Andes of Ecuador, 1855
Good morning from an island off the Maine coast. Subtle Hudson River School painter is great with light & water.
Why does art matter? You see what your forerunners saw.
Alfred Thompson Bricher, Morning at Grand Manan, 1878
American painter with a gift for evening light in woodland settings.
The way the details mingle into golden glow gives the gloaming a feeling of peace & a hint of magic.
Thomas Worthington Whittredge, Deer Watering, 1876
The most dramatic of the Hudson River School at his most spectacular.
The light & shadow contrasts & turbulent atmosphere hint at God’s glory in Creation.
Albert Bierstadt, A Storm in the Rocky Mountains, Mt. Rosalie, 1866
Hudson River school master with an beautiful twilight scene. The sun behind the mountains is enchanting.
A lot of people dream of a posh life. To me, this is the posh life.
Frederic Edwin Church, American Landscape, 1853
Hudson river painter with a quiet overcast day. Limited colors set a mood & show his light.
The shining sand & soft glow in the sky would be lost in bright sun.
Alfred Thompson Bricher, Beach at Little Boar’s Head, NH, 1875
Hudson River School painter brings quiet profundity to a glorious morning after an unexpected absence.
Light & color tones on land & water get more impressive the longer you look.
Sanford Robinson Gifford, Wilderness, 1860
Landscape master with a unique view of a stunning mountain sunset.
Even when relatively subdued, Bierstadt’s art has an epic quality that reaches for the sublime.
Albert Bierstadt, Donner Lake from the Summit, 19th century
With land in the air, no better time for a blast of American beauty.
A Hudson River School founder at the peak of his game. The fading green into the distance is sublime.
Asher Brown Durand, Catskill Clove, NY, 1864
Tranquil morning with the most serene of the Hudson River School.
He creates the feel of late summer & a sense of timelessness. Like a memory you can step into.
Alfred Thompson Bricher, Cliff Island, Maine, 19th century
German painter with a gift for Florida sunsets. This could be the Everglades or the Gulf Coast.
Forget the Devil Mouse - the light in the trees & on the water is the real magic.
Herman Herzog, Sunset, Florida, 19th century
Good morning SG!
Hudson River School painter with a study of sunrise colors.
Studies like this build skills that apply to any subject & stand on their own.
Sanford Robinson Gifford, Sunrise on the Seashore, 1865
Underrated American painter continues the hot summer theme.
Light changes with the seasonal movements of the sun. Whittredge captures the feeling of the dog days.
Thomas Worthington Whittredge, The Meadow, 19th century
Hudson River School great cuts loose all the wonder & detail he was famous for.
That may be an understatement. Where to begin with this vision of the highest peak in Ecuador?
Frederic Edwin Church, Chimborazo, 1864
Wonder how Hudson River School artists got such great views?
Here’s a self-portrait of one at work. The sketches get worked up into paintings in the studio.
Sanford Gifford, The Artist Sketching at Mount Desert, Maine, 1865
American
It's easy to see the Hudson River School influence here in grand, sublimely lit landscape visions. But the variety comes through as well. Softer and more realist landscapes, Romantic lighting, and genre scenes that give a glimpse of past Americana. Wisdom as well as beauty. A legacy that has not been well served, but lives on regardless. Let's fix that first part.
Sun’s up. Time to get started with a 20th century American painter known for horses & western subjects.
He uses traditional landscape technique, but adds figures to tell a story.
Olaf Wieghorst, Breaking Camp, 20th century
More summer heat with an American painter & a seasonal vision of pastoral beauty.
Urban crises & electronic drama are fleeting. The land endures. Choose your alignment wisely.
George Inness, Summer Landscape, around 1876
Sunday morning reflection on priorities with an honest piece of Americana.
Each reaction is personalized & a space is kept for you. Scripture keeps the darkness of the world at bay.
Eastman Johnson, Sunday Morning, 1863
Gifted American realist & the English coast. Sky & water are his usual subtle genius.
But the greens make this one. The tones in the moss & seawater tie it all together.
William Trost Richards, Yellow Cairn of Cornwall, 1879
American artist captures the heavy feeling of a flowering meadow in the summer heat.
The blur of watercolor is perfect for this atmosphere.
William Henry Holmes, Field of Joe Pie Weeds (Pride of the Meadow), 19th century
This American artist painted exotic flowers & jewel-like birds against expressive landscapes.
The lush colors & and textures make the scene with vital energy .
Martin Johnson Heade, Study of an Orchid, 19th century
American painter with a gift for shades of light & the reds of a sunset on the ocean.
It’s amazing how modern life totally cut off access to the water for most people.
Francis A. Silva, Red Sails at Sunset, 19th century
Artists remind us of what our forefathers knew. Security is a relationship with your land. Organic community follows.
Only we have better engineering. Logos is rising.
Homer Dodge Martin, In the Housatonic Valley, 1850s
American painter & a moody, atmospheric nocturne. It’s amazing how much is said with a limited tonal range.
The dark edges enhance the reflected feeling of peaceful solitude.
Arthur Parton, Moonlit Landscape, 19th century
Magnificent stand by the old master of California painting.
The Golden State was so important to the American imagination for so long - the loss has yet to register psychically.
William Keith, California Ranch, 1908
American painter with the complicated shading of a summer forest.
Distant light always draws the eye to the depths of a painting - here the stream provides a glistening path.
Alexander Helwig Wyant, A Summer Haunt, 1881
Prayers for a complication-free procedure, a healthy baby, and a quick recovery.
Lilly Martin Spencer, Domestic Happiness, 1849
American painter of rural scenes with a warm summer day.
His texture & feel has a vital energy that reminds me of the Russians, but his landscape is distinctly American.
Hugh Bolton Jones, On the Housatonic, 19th century
American painter with a blazing sunset. The world transforms on the edge of night.
The dark rock between the red reflection & red sky makes the picture seem much deeper.
Arthur Parton, Evening on the Ausable River, 1875
Collecting SG art posts for a Band page. Thanks @idprism for the idea.
Awesome allegory of Revolution & Mexican War. Resisting imperialism to imperialism. No pure ideals in a fallen world.
Richard Woodville, Old ‘76 and Young ‘48, 1849
American psyche formed in open spaces & it never recovered from the end of the frontier.
Urban/rural has become an existential divide. If nation is blood, it’s the limbic system.
Maynard Dixon, The Prairie, 20th century
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