Hudson River School Paintings

The Hudson River School came about in the mid-19th century in the United States from a group of landscape painters influenced by Romanticism. This style typically includes one of three themes: discovery, exploration or settlement. The American landscape is portrayed in a pastoral setting with nature and people coexisting. This style of painting is characterized by realistic, detailed, and sometimes idealized depiction of nature. Many of the actual scenes are the blended compositions of several scenes or natural images as seen by the artist. In gathering the visual information for these paintings, the artists would visit extraordinary places, which may not allow for painting. During these trips, they would make sketches and create memories to paint later.