The Landscape That Defined America:
The Hudson River School

Beginning with the artist Thomas Cole in 1825 and ending with a third generation of painters in the 1870s, the group of American artists known as the Hudson River school created dramatic depictions of nature. Their landscapes ranged from sublime and untamed views of the wilderness to quiet pastoral scenes. Some of their landscapes were viewed as allegories with strong moral messages. All of Hudson River school artists had a common interest in nature and its symbolic power. The Hudson River school has played a major role in defining America. 

Interest in the Hudson River school paintings and what they have meant to people have changed over time. At the height of the Hudson River school in the 1840s the artists’ paintings were meant to celebrate the presence of God in nature. Motivated by the emotions of Romanticism, the artists saw the natural American environment as the manifestation of the divine. The beautiful wilderness of America was viewed as a new paradise – sacred and profound. 

By the end of the 19th century, interest in the Hudson River school declined and the paintings were considered old-fashioned. After World War I, in the 1920s and 1930s, there was a renewed popularity for the landscapes. Sparked by the strong national pride that came with America’s role in winning the “war to end all wars”, the paintings came to be seen as representing all that makes the country great – great expanses of natural beauty with unlimited opportunities for growth. 

The era of the Great Depression included its own group of regional landscape artists, many inspired by the early pioneers of the Hudson River school. The overwhelming experience of World War II changed the character of American art. Abstraction became the new standard in the 1950s and the Hudson River school again lost its appeal. It wasn’t until the late 1960s and 1970s that interest in the landscapes was revived again. Many now viewed the paintings as reminders of a lost pre-industrial paradise. Environmentalists used the Hudson River school to inspire people to embrace the “back to the earth” movement.

Many of the Hudson River school artists lived and worked in the Hudson River valley. Located in the upper valley, the Albany Institute of History & Art has been collecting materials related to the Hudson River school for over one hundred years. The museum’s collection represents all of the major artists associated with this movement, recognized as the first school of American painting. Works by the Hudson River school are appreciated on many levels for their insights and meanings related to American art, history, and cultural experience. This exhibition explores the significance and impact of the Hudson River school over time.