"Frederic Edwin Church went first to the tropics and volcanoes of South America, when American artists of the mid 19th century usually went to Europe or the western frontier in order to expand their repertoire... In 1844, at the age of 18... he became the famous Hudson River School painter Thomas Cole's only pupil. By the early 1850's, Church was not only oil painting views of specific American places with topographical exactitude, he was also combining separate elements of meticulously detailed scenery into landscapes of heroic breadth and depth. Church traveled from the arctic to the tropics making detailed sketches in search of material for his elegant oil paintings. His oil paintings were often extremely large and they enthralled crowds with their realistic, technical virtuosity".
from theworldartist.com
Oh wow, these are beautiful! I love the light in them, it's really stunning. One day I'll learn to paint light that well :P
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Phil! :D
Useful stuff, Phil.
ReplyDeleteEchoes of John Martin - but without the hell and damnation. More the freshness of the new world. There was huge exhibition at the Tate a few years ago called 'The American Sublime' - seeing his canvases at close quarters revealed the incredible detail within their breadth. I think now they can only really be seen in America - as good a reason as any to go!
ReplyDeleteOooh someone to compete with Caspar David Friedrich for my affections.
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