Albany Institute of History and Art: The Hudson River School

I am blessed to live in a culturally rich part of the country. The Dutch settled New York City north to Albany in the early 1600’s; several Presidents and other important political figures arose from this area, and a key school of painters–the Hudson River School–developed in the region during the mid-1800s.

The Albany Institute of History and Art, which owns a significant Hudson River School collection, recently had a free admission day, so I took advantage and drove into the Albany for a visit.

 Hudson River School Painters

The School was not a “school” per se, but rather a group of like-minded, 19th century painters who looked to Thomas Cole, the artist who painted Ruined Tower (above), as their guide.

They are known for reflecting the pastoral nature of the American landscape in an idealized fashion, as in An Adirondack Pastoral (above) by George Inness.

Most Hudson River School paintings depict the Hudson River Valley, the Catskills, the Adirondacks, and the White Mountains. Cole’s home, Cedar Grove, is a National Historic Site in the town of Catskill (NY) about an hour south of Albany.

While painted in a realistic style, Hudson River School paintings frequently romanticize the American landscape, as seen in Dawning of the Morning, Lake George (1868) by Jasper Francis Cropsey. They felt romantic notions similar to the Romantic and Transcendental writers of the early 1800s.

Here we have Albany Rural Cemetery, (1849) by James Hart, who, along with his brother William, made up part of the second generation of the School.

This close-up of a painting by William Hart, Scene in the Heldebergs, Near Albany, is one of my favorites. I love the pastoral setting and the idealized country life.

Erastus Dow Palmer

The Institute also owns a large collection of works by Albany sculptor, Erastus Dow Palmer, a nationally recognized 19th century artist.

You may recognize this handsome angel from my post about Albany Rural Cemetery. This piece is the plaster model for the larger piece in the cemetery, called, Angel of the Sepulcher. The exhibit noted that it is rare to find an angel depicted as male.

This marble sculpture, Infant Flora (1857), was hand-carved by Palmer himself. He and his apprentices carved their own pieces, rather than sending them to Italy for carving, as was the custom. He is said to have breathed “life into the neoclassical sculptural tradition.”

 

I think she’s lovely.

Albany Institute of History and Art
125 Washington Avenue, Albany  12210
518-463-4478
$10 adults, $6 kids 6-12

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