Art and Nature: The Hudson River School Paintings

The term Hudson River school is used to describe paintings made by two generations of artists beginning in 1825 with Thomas Cole. This informal school flourished for about fifty years. Hudson River school artists are best known for their large panoramic views of landscapes of North and South America, Europe, and the Middle East. Their subject matter ranges from the sublime views of the wilderness, to beautiful pastoral scenes influenced by man, to allegorical pictures with moral messages.

The Albany Institute of History & Art has been collecting materials related to Hudson River school artists for more than 150 years. The museum’s collection includes sixty paintings, as well as hundreds of sketchbooks and drawings, photographs, paint boxes, and manuscript materials related to all of the major artists associated with this movement, which is recognized as the first distinctive American school of painting.

This exhibition includes 25 paintings and complements an additional twenty works in the adjacent Lansing Gallery.