Hudson River School

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Luminism is an American landscape painting style that derives from a group of landscape artists of the mid 19th century who worked along the Hudson River Valley of New York. 

These artists didn’t refer to their art works as “luminist”.  That title came many years later.

Luminist landscapes emphasize peace and tranquility and often feature an inspirational sky and vast open spaces of America's frontier.

The name “luminism” was introduced by historians in the 20th century to refer to this 19th Century art movement.  Their artistic vision was strongly influenced by romanticism.

This art movement celebrated the vast natural resources of the American wilderness with a watchful eye on industrial age that threatened God's original beauty in the landscape of our country.

The artists of the Hudson River School were united by certain principles they shared and cherished. They believed in the magnificence of nature and the significance of the untamed American wilderness that seemed to define our national character as opposed to the civilized European landscape they knew from their childhoods.

In the height of this movement, paintings celebrated the presence of God in nature.  Abiding by the tenets of Romanticism, they envisioned the the natural American landscape as God expressing His unbridled power and majesty to a fledgling new country. 

The painting at left was created by Albert Bierstadt during his journeys through the American west.

Thomas Cole is credited with being the leader of this movement, which began around 1825.  Cole's landscapes celebrated the beauty and grandeur of God's glorious creations.   For Cole and his followers, the American landscape became a sacred place where man could find the Creator in the untouched wilderness.  They recorded their inspirations with paint and brush on artists canvas to capture the essence of their visions for many generations to come.  

As a result, the Hudson River School is credited with elevating the art of landscape painting to a higher position in the fine art world, and for conveying a sense of spaciousness that was uniquely American.

Many of the artists in this movement were trained in European academies and applied the principles of Old World composition and style they had learned in the finest academies of Europe to the American scenery they painted. 

Their subject matter inspired Americans to turn away from European subjects in favor of painting America's own natural beauty and grandeur. 

Through their art, some of the Hudson River School artists discovered the intense beauty of the New York landscape and from that grew a deep desire in their hearts to explore the American West.  Artists like Bierstadt and others in the School traveled westward.  Their art works have immortalized some areas of the American wilderness in the western regions of our great country.

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