American Wilderness: The Story of the Hudson River School of Painting [Paperback]

Barbara Babcock Millhouse (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 13, 2007

More than 40 full-color reproductions of some of their greatest paintings illustrate this historical overview of the Hudson River School of landscape painting and the lives and works of artists Thomas Cole, Frederic Church, Asher Durand, Sanford Gifford, Albert Bierstadt, Jasper Cropsey, Worthington Whittredge, William Merritt Chase, Martin Johnson Heade, John Frederick Kensett, George Inness, and other American landscape painters who created a new and quintessentially American style of art in the early and mid-19th century. Inspired first by the pastoral Hudson River Valley and the rugged wilderness of the Catskill Mountains, many of these artists then ventured forth to capture unspoiled scenes of the American West, New England, or South America. This critical history and intimate look at the lives of the artists features a foreword by Kevin Avery, Associate Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and is set in a beautifully designed oversized volume.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Books devoted to the Hudson River School today are legion, but none that I know quite performs the service that this one does, and so entertainingly. ... For all, it relates the social dimension of the New York landscape painting phenomenon as no other book that I know has yet done so purposefully. Novices will be borne along by a well-paced narrative of artistic enterprise and community; specialists will be gratified by the encapsulation between two covers of an aesthetic movement they have theretofore conceptualized from a host of artist monographs and exhibition catalogues. --Foreword by Kevin J. Avery, Associate Curator, Department of American Paintings and Sculpture, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Entertaining, skillfully presented, highly readable retelling of the fascinating story of America s first native school of art, the Hudson River School, from its rise in 1825 with the transforming landscapes of Thomas Cole, the founder, who succeeded in capturing the sublime qualities of American nature, to its broad dissemination and great popularity through the work of many subsequent practitioners including Church, Durand, Gifford, Kensett, Whittredge, Bierstadt, and Heade, to its decline around 1875 when other styles prevailed. Because of its charm, excellent scholarship and beautiful illustrations, Millhouse s fine book should be widely read and appreciated by those interested in American art. I recommend it enthusiastically. --Back cover copy by Elliot S. Vesell, M.D., ScD., Evan Pugh Professor, Penn State College of Medicine, editor of The Life and Works of Thomas Cole by Louis Legrand Noble

I simply couldn't put it down. American Wilderness brings to life this unique moment in our nation's cultural development when painters, poets, sculptors and writers all shared the common purpose of creating an American identity, and the public eagerly looked for them to provide it. It is a rare combination: a sweeping historical account (covering the better part of a century) of the first American art movement, and also a thrilling read, cinematic in scope and intensity. --Back cover copy by David Barnes, Board of Governors, Cedar Grove, the Thomas Cole National Historic Site

About the Author

Barbara Babcock Millhouse has been the driving force behind the Reynolda House collection of American art in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Recently retired, she has served as chairman of the board of directors of Reynolda House since its inception in 1965. She co-authored American Originals; Selections from Reynolda House, Museum of American Art, a catalog for a traveling exhibition sponsored by the American Federation of Arts. She is a graduate of Smith College and Parsons School of Design, and lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Black Dome Press Corp. (August 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883789575
• ISBN-13: 978-1883789572
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #279,471 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #68 in Books > Arts & Photography > Painting > Landscape

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The worst book about Hudson River School Paintings I've ever bought, April 25, 2008

By 

A Classical Painter (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Wilderness: The Story of the Hudson River School of Painting (Paperback)

This book is a joke. These are the reasons: The author talks about how handsome an artist was instead of how he painted; he talked about what day an artist ate a boiled egg with whom (who cares; may be he ate a scrambled egg the next day) instead of more relevant events. May be this is why he subtitled the book: "The Story of the Hudson River School of Painting." The worst of all about this book is the pictures. They are small; 90+% are about or smaller than a post card. The pictures were badly reproduced, very dark, totally off-colors (when compare with other books), blur or messed as if they were printed 60-75 years ago when printing technology was still considered primitive. My husband, a very reputable artist in our area, said looking at the pictures were like looking at them under a half-moon night--can't see any details although you know they are landscape paintings--and that is all you can see. This book is also very small and has few pictures although this is not a problem if the materials (writing & pictures) are good. The only picture that is about average is the one on the cover. In short, this is the worst book about Hudson River School paintings I have ever bought.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An American Story, February 14, 2010

By 

BCCGJP (PA, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: American Wilderness: The Story of the Hudson River School of Painting (Paperback)

This is an outstanding book. It is not an art book. It is a history book. As the title clearly states, this is "The story of the Hudson River School of Painting". So, if you are simply looking for a book on painting with pretty pictures, this is not for you. On the other hand if you are looking for a book that covers the lives of the painters, discuss the social, economic, and scientific movements that influenced the artists and places the Hudson River School in the larger historical context of the period, this is the book for you. The book is well written and contains many interesting historical tidbits of information. Did you know, for example, that Samuel F.B. Morse (the later inventor of the telegraph) was an artist by profession and president of the National Academy of Design or that Thomas Cole (the painter) traveled to Columbia to follow the route of the famous German naturalist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt? If you are ever in the Hudson Valley and plan on visiting Church's Olana, the Samuel Morse estate, the Thomas Cole Historic Site, or walking the Hudson River School Art Trail, this is a book that will enrich your experience.

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding, January 7, 2008

By 

E. Renehan "Ed Renehan" (Near Newport, RI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: American Wilderness: The Story of the Hudson River School of Painting (Paperback)

A classic of the literature beautifully updated with absolutely superb illustrations. A "must" for anyone interested in the Hudson River School