AMERICAN LANDSCAPE PAINTING
Autumn – On the Hudson River, Jasper F. Cropsey, 1860, Washington,DC National Gallery of Art (permanent collection). Found onhttps://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/art-music-and-film/essays/natures-nation-hudson-river-school-and-american-landscape
The Autumn – On the Hudson River is a painting made by Jasper F.Cropsey in the year 1860. The artistic drawing is a landscapepainting made of oil on canvas. The style of the painting isrealistic it’s representational and a perfectly authentic view ofthe Hudson River during the autumn season. In this monumental sight,the valley of the Hudson River runs inland between the towns of WestPoint and Newburgh. The outlook point is well selected for a widerange of effect comprising of a rising and falling foreground of woodand forest, the river, and the river inlet into to the lake and themountain. From the raised vantage point of the Hudson River westernside in the foreground a small river leads towards the extensiveexpanse of the main river. There are three people with their dogsrelaxing near the small river surrounded by rocks, trees, and woodsenjoying the scenic beauty of the Hudson River and its locality. Thevariety and richness of the autumn foliage, the tall, graceful, andbrightly colored trees frame the scenic sight into the expanse. Theexceptionally vibrant colors of the autumnal scene in America can bevividly seen on both sides of the Hudson River Valley in the sugarmaple, chestnut, birch and red oak trees with their different shadesof bronze, orange, scarlet, and yellow intermixed with evergreenpines and hemlocks. In the background the Storm King Mountain uniqueprofile and the lake-like river inlet can be seen off in a distance.Behind the thick dark-gray clouds and the blue skies, the piercingrays of the sun give the hazy atmosphere a mellow glow (Ferber,2017).
It seems as if the artist of the ‘Autumn On the Hudson River’painting was trying to express how he felt about the striking andbright autumnal scene in America – his celebration of the Americaautumn season. The peaceful atmosphere is a symbol of how peoplecoexist peacefully with nature: the three men and their dogs enjoyingthe autumnal scenic beauty of the Hudson River Valley and itslocality while gazing at the sun. I thinks that the vivid colors inthe painting represent variety of feelings and emotions for examplethe scarlet color represents courage, desire and passion, the yellowcolor of the birch tree represents happiness, joy and energy, theorange color represents fascination, attraction and enthusiasm, thebronze color represents protection and security, the green colorrepresents growth, freshness, fertility and healing, the blue skiesrepresent expansiveness, peace, stability and freedom, and lastly thedark gray color of the clouds is a moody and emotionless color thatrepresents conservativeness and sophistication (Ferber, 2017).
This landscape painting can be compared to the Hunter MountainTwilight landscape painting by Sanford R. Gifford painted in the year1866. The two landscape paintings are established on the grounds oftypical sketching laid by the Hudson River School. They are both madeof oil on canvas. The two landscapes present panoramic outlooksbeneath dramatic skies. In Cropsey’s painting, the evening sunpiercing rays casts a mellow and deep harmony above an expansivevista surrounded by mature forest with full foliage. However, inGifford’s painting the twilight broods at the back of the obscuremountain and beyond the sight of the desolate farmhouse establishedon the boundaries of a field that is still raw with tree stumps thatoverlook the foreground, challenging the national tale of growth toone of defeat. The Autumn – On the Hudson River has vividly coloredtrees on both sides of the valley representing autumnal scene whereasin the foreground of the Hunter Mountain Twilight landscape paintingthere are numerous boulders and tree stumps littered which shownature degradation due to cultivation and settlement (Ferber, 2017).
Listof References
Ferber, L. (2017). American History in Visual Art. “Nature’sNation”: The Hudson River School and American Landscape Painting,1825–1876. The International journal of health planning andmanagement Gilder Lehram Institute of American History availableat
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiHk_eK7YfTAhVHJ8AKHZv7CV8QFggiMAI&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gilderlehrman.org%2Fhistory-by-era%2Fart-music-and-film%2Fessays%2Fnatures-nation-hudson-river-school-and-american-landscape&usg=AFQjCNFinSNUGq0zJnNoutOn-6fRBkwgbw&sig2=Ea2Fa5OW_2WBnfbZiVSQKwRetrieved on 3rd April, 2017.
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