Columbia Museum of Art hosts Hudson River School paintings
Though Columbia’s landscapes may not easily be described as “beautiful” or “sublime,” the Columbia Museum of Art brings awe-inspiring scenery to the city with the opening of its latest exhibit, “Nature and the Grand American Vision: Masterpieces of the Hudson River School Painters.”
The exhibit, which opened Nov. 19, features a vast collection of 45 paintings from the collection of the New-York Historical Society. The traveling show is comprised of 19th century landscape paintings by the artists of the Hudson River School, a group of painters who shared the idea that nature can be a source of spiritual enlightenment and depicted sublime, peaceful images of America’s outdoors in their artwork.
“American scenery is a subject that to every American ought to be of surpassing interest,” Thomas Cole, founder of the Hudson River School, said.
After viewing this exhibit, many Americans may gain a new appreciation for the beauty of their country.
The first room of paintings showcases renderings of Hudson River Valley landscapes, including the Hudson Highlands (located near the United States Military Academy at West Point), the Catskill Mountains, Lake George, the White Mountains and various parts of New England.
One room in the gallery features an expansive blown-up map of the Hudson River and gives context for the real-life locations depicted in the exhibit’s paintings. The original map, beautifully hand-drawn and engraved by William Wade, and originally published by J. Disturnell in 1847, is on display as well as a variety of other old maps, guidebooks and atlases from the 19th century. The books are on loan to the museum from the Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections at the University of South Carolina.
Early editions of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Nature” and James Fenimore Cooper’s “Last of the Mohicans” are featured in the exhibit as well as “A Book of the Hudson,” an 1849 book of sketches and tales about the Hudson River Valley by Washington Irving, a native of the Catskills area and author of famous tales “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”
Not all paintings in the exhibit are landscapes of the Hudson River Valley. Many of these artists were explorers, too. A portion of the exhibit features paintings of Italy done by Hudson River School artists.
Frederic Edwin Church’s work “Cayambe” (1858), inspired by the “tropical world” of the Mediterranean, and Marie-Francois-Regis Gignoux’s “Mammoth Cave, Kentucky” (c. 1843), a depiction of the dark cave illuminated by firelight, are also highlights of the show.
The exhibit has a local connection as well. Louis Remy Mignot, a Hudson River School artist whose painting “The Harvest Moon” (1860) is featured in the exhibit, was born in Charleston.
The final section of the exhibit is comprised of Cole’s five painting series “The Course of Empire,” which chronicles the rise and fall of civilization.
All of the paintings displayed in “Nature and the Grand American Vision” share the same attention to detail and lifelike coloring. The works are displayed in ornate gold frames, showing just how valuable these paintings are to the history of America.
“Nature and the Grand American Vision” will be on display through April 1. Several lectures and tours will be held in conjunction with the exhibit, including an upcoming gallery talk with USC Special Collections librarian Jeffrey M. Makala on Dec. 2 at noon. The lecture is free with museum membership or admission, but preregistration is required.
The Columbia Museum of Art is located at 1515 Main St. and is open Tuesday through Sunday.