The collection of Hudson River artist paintings at the Marsh Billings Rockefeller National Historic Park is believed to have been the largest collection of this school of painting (24 in all) that was privately collects in the United States, including this parinting of Cathedral Rock in Yosemite by Alfred Bierstadt and Niagra Falls by Thomas Cole. Frank Billings, who made his money as the president of the Northern Pacific Railroad (and for whom Billings, Montana is names) was a huge fan of conservation, which gave him a natural affinity with the Hudson River School of artists. They wanted to capture America's natural beauty on canvas for all to see. It is possible to take the art tour of the home that I did not take on my recent visit, but would definitely consider planning my next trip around.
The Hudson River School was America's first true artistic fraternity. Its name
was coined to identify a group of New York City-based landscape painters that
emerged about 1850 under the influence of the English émigré Thomas Cole (1801–1848) and flourished until about
the time of the Centennial. Because of the inspiration exerted by his work, Cole
is usually regarded as the "father" or "founder" of the school, though he
himself played no special organizational role. The group initially had a great deal of fraternity with each other--they lived near each other, they socialized with each other and they shared a focus on the beauty of nature and presenting such beauty in the British aesthetic style known as the Sublime. The railroad opened up large areas in the western United States to accessible travel, and the Hudson River School of painters enticed Americans to come and experience that beauty for themselves. Conservationists encouraged Abraham Lincoln to protect Yosemite from exploitation, which he did in 1864, beginning the tradition of National Parks and the preservation of natural places. Come to Vermont and see a collection of paintings that were part of that movement.
The collection of Hudson River artist paintings at the Marsh Billings Rockefeller National Historic Park is believed to have been the largest collection of this school of painting (24 in all) that was privately collects in the United States, including this parinting of Cathedral Rock in Yosemite by Alfred Bierstadt and Niagra Falls by Thomas Cole. Frank Billings, who made his money as the president of the Northern Pacific Railroad (and for whom Billings, Montana is names) was a huge fan of conservation, which gave him a natural affinity with the Hudson River School of artists. They wanted to capture America's natural beauty on canvas for all to see. It is possible to take the art tour of the home that I did not take on my recent visit, but would definitely consider planning my next trip around.
The Hudson River School was America's first true artistic fraternity. Its name
was coined to identify a group of New York City-based landscape painters that
emerged about 1850 under the influence of the English émigré Thomas Cole (1801–1848) and flourished until about
the time of the Centennial. Because of the inspiration exerted by his work, Cole
is usually regarded as the "father" or "founder" of the school, though he
himself played no special organizational role. The group initially had a great deal of fraternity with each other--they lived near each other, they socialized with each other and they shared a focus on the beauty of nature and presenting such beauty in the British aesthetic style known as the Sublime. The railroad opened up large areas in the western United States to accessible travel, and the Hudson River School of painters enticed Americans to come and experience that beauty for themselves. Conservationists encouraged Abraham Lincoln to protect Yosemite from exploitation, which he did in 1864, beginning the tradition of National Parks and the preservation of natural places. Come to Vermont and see a collection of paintings that were part of that movement.
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