In the mid-1800s, a group of painters based in New York turned their focus to the theme of the natural landscape to demonstrate the beauty of the wilderness. Their work enjoyed a popular national success that no other group of artists has achieved since. This seminal survey of the artists marks the first presentation of the outstanding collection at the New-York Historical Society. It features works by all the greatest artists of the group, including Thomas Cole, Asher Durand, Albert Bierstadt, and Frederic Church. Accompanying a major traveling exhibition, the book is also timed to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s first voyage up the Hudson River.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
The glorious landscape paintings of the Hudson River Valley—and beyond—which forged America’s first artistic movement.
“In the first half of the 19th century, a group of painters working in New York City developed a distinctly American vision of the landscape. Their powerful interpretations of American scenery, which came to be known as the Hudson River School, ‘tell the story of how landscape imagery can shape both national and cultural identity,’ The book showcases more than a hundred of these images, many in full-page reproduction that convey the original paintings’ monumental scale…” ~Luxist.com
“…The paintings show how American artists embodied powerful ideas about nature, culture and history—including a belief that a special providence was manifest to Americans in the continent’s sublime landscape.” ~NewYorkHistoryBlog.com
“In the first half of the 19th century, a group of painters working in New York City developed a distinctly American vision of the landscape. Their powerful interpretations of American scenery, which came to be known as the Hudson River School, ‘tell the story of how landscape imagery can shape both national and cultural identity,’ The book showcases more than a hundred of these images, many in full-page reproduction that convey the original paintings’ monumental scale…” ~Luxist.com
“…The paintings show how American artists embodied powerful ideas about nature, culture and history—including a belief that a special providence was manifest to Americans in the continent’s sublime landscape.” ~NewYorkHistoryBlog.com
About the Author
The New-York Historical Society, a preeminent research and education institution, is home to both New York City’s oldest museum and one of the nation’s most distinguished independent research libraries. Founded in 1804, its holdings cover four centuries of American history.
Dr. Linda S. Ferber is the museum director at the New-York Historical Society.
Dr. Linda S. Ferber is the museum director at the New-York Historical Society.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Both Quality & Quantity,
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This review is from: The Hudson River School: Nature and the AmericanVision (Hardcover)
While amongst a throng of other buzzards perusing the sale racks of a now-defunct book seller (whose name I cannot repeat, lest I be thrown in a barn and given the ignoble job of cleaning it) who was in their final death throes, I ran across this book still in it's shrink-wrap. Knowing full well that it was free from fingerprints, dirt and other human detritus, I then quickly looked for the price and was delighted to see it selling for a price far lower than the one listed here on Amazon. Grasping it tightly, I hurried to the cashier and quickly handed over my hard-earned lucre so that I might possess this treasure forever.
I'm sure there are as good or better books on the painters of the Hudson River School, but I've yet to see them. This is by far one of the best, if not THE best. There are more than 100 extremely high-quality images reproduced in this book, many of which have detail enlargements of sections of these priceless works. In many cases, I use my magnifying glass to see the detail even better, yet hardly see the dot screen of the printing. Dot screen? Let me explain: In full color (better known as 4 color by the printing trade) printing, a matrix of dots is used to break the picture down into cyan, magenta, yellow and black. These four inks are used to reproduce anything that is meant for viewing in full color and the image is broken down into the four colors using photographic filters. This breakdown is called a "color separation" and when the four plates are aligned, the smallest pattern result in any given area is called a "rosette". In newspaper comics, this is easily seen, especially if the alignment is off somewhat. However, in high-end printing, (600 lines of dots per inch or greater) the rosette is so small as to be nearly invisible, rendering an almost smooth-toned printing job with no visible dots. I scanned this book for pictures which might reveal any rosette pattern and was hard-pressed to find one, and even in that particular image (page 155) I had to really magnify to see them. Impressive! Not having the originals at my disposal, I have no real grasp on how closely the reproductions match the printing, but I can only imagine that with the care taken to print and edit such a fine work that the color match must be of superior quality. That said, each color image is breathtaking and reveals not only brushstrokes but also the subtle surface texture of the canvas. But enough of image quality (the very essence of an art book), let me espouse on the content of the text, which is highly educational and elucidates one most completely on the various artists of the period and the subject at hand. There were many particular points of interest of which I had no prior knowledge and was eager to add these tidbits to my growing expertise on art. Truly, this is a definitive work. I highly recommend this book to any lover of art, especially those who are enamored of the Hudson River genre. I was most delighted to add this to my ever-growing collection. Cheers!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
painters of pure light,
By Tom BOMBADIL8 "Tom BOMBADIL8" (l'île d'Avalon) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Hudson River School: Nature and the AmericanVision (Hardcover)
This book is very well designed especially for those who like the painters of the "Hudson River School" or those who want to experience these magnificent landscape painters who know so well express the light.
The format of this book called for "Italian" (oblong) seems particularly appropriate to reflect the atmosphere of these paintings. There are many excellent color reproductions, and this book can also be a great complement for the person who dispsoe already a few books on these artists. The quality price ratio should appeal to all those who simply love the beautiful landscape of classical painting and wish to have an overview of these painters. In other words, a gift to yourself for fun or for relatives who will marvel at the masters of the landscape. Note that several works by Thomas Cole, founder of the "Hudson River School," present in this book, we seem remarkably well reflect the descriptions of places of the famous "The Lord of the Ring" by J.R.R Tolkien !
3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
the hudson school,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Hudson River School: Nature and the AmericanVision (Hardcover)
Beautiful pictures and very good quality, has only 4 stars because
expected more works of F. Church, Heade Martin or Thomas Cole, who are my favorite of this school. Like I'm very satisfied.
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