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Home , Cosmos (Humboldt book), Frederic Edwin Church, Hudson River School, Thomas Cole, Wadsworth Atheneum

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Frederic Edwin Church (American, 1826–1900), School & Teacher Coast Scene, Mount Desert Programs (Sunrise off the Maine Coast), 1863 , 1863 , Edwin Frederic 1826–1900American, Mount Desert the Maine Coast) (Sunrise off Scene, Coast Oil on canvas 36 1/8 x 48 in. 1948.178 Gould, Hinton Bequest of Clara

About the Artist: Frederic Edwin Church (American, 1826–1900)

Hartford native Frederic Edwin Church spent much of his youth developing his artistic sensibilities. Although his father’s position as an original subscriber of the indicated his support of the arts, Joseph Church preferred that his son pursue a career in business. Museum of Art Joseph’s close relationship with the museum’s founder, Daniel Wadsworth (1771–1848), however, proved integral to his son’s place in . It was Wadsworth who arranged the young Church’s apprenticeship (1844–46) with (1801–1848), the acknowledged founder of the School. Making him worthy of such an appointment was Church’s considerable in painting, a skill perhaps inspired and cultivated by his exposure to Wadsworth’s extraordinary private art collection in Hartford. Wadsworth Atheneum Atheneum Wadsworth

www.thewadsworth.org/teachers (860) 838-4170 1 At Cole’s suggestion, Church relocated to the Catskill region of to study his instructor’s method of outdoor sketching. He consequently developed a love of nature and adopted Cole’s style, most notably the integration of historical and moralistic themes into his . Cole later acknowledged that Church had “the finest eye for drawing in the world.” He is considered School & to be his mentor’s most illustrious pupil. Teacher Programs Following his apprenticeship, Church moved to , where, upon Cole’s death in 1848, he soon replaced his teacher as the leading landscape painter in America. Although Cole’s teachings would remain central to his art, Church turned his attention toward the advancements in the fields of and geology. Influenced by the writings and travels of the German nationalist explorer (1769-1859), Church became the first American artist to paint in South America, producing scientifically accurate renditions of botanical, geological, and meteorological phenomena. The pencil sketches and oil studies he made on site during this expedition and others allowed him to produce studio works of extraordinary detail and textural accuracy.

Despite a declining interest in painting in the post–Civil War era, Church continued to exhibit many of his major landscape paintings depicting North and South America. His artistic activity declined significantly with the onset of degenerative rheumatoid arthritis in 1864. He died at the age of seventy-three in New York City and is buried next to his wife and two of his children in Spring Grove Cemetery in Hartford.

About the Painting: Coast Scene, Mount Desert (Sunrise off the Maine Coast), 1863

Church began painting northern coastal scenes early in his career. In 1850, inspired by his contemporaries, he made the first of many visits to scenic , Maine, where he later produced a series of large-scale paintings featuring light-filled expansive vistas of the coast. After a hiatus from this subject matter—brought about by the devastating events of the Civil War—Church returned to his depictions of the shore. It was during this period of personal critical acclaim and financial prosperity that the artist produced his masterpiece of the seascape genre, Coast Scene, Mount Desert (Sunrise off the Maine Coast), which was exhibited at the National Academy of Design in New York. The work was favorably received by critics.

Here . . . is magnificent force in the sea; we give ourselves up to enthusiasm for it, regarded as pure power; when it dies its final death in mad froth and vapor, tossed quite to the top of the beetling barrier crags on the right foreground, we feel ourselves in an audacious actual presence, whose passion moves us almost like a living fact of surf. We value the light effects separately, and the fine recklessness of color by itself, among the best instances of Church’s power. (William Conant Church, ed., “Frederic Edwin Church,” The Galaxy: An Illustrated Museum of Art Magazine of Entertaining Reading, vol. 1 [May 1–August­ 15, 1866], p. 424)

Church’s seascape defines the scene with striking energy and compelling drama. Based on oil sketches made , the composition positions the viewer in direct confrontation with a turbulent sea, its powerful waves crashing in spurts against a dominating coastline of jagged rock formations. The luminous quality of the sun forcefully peaks through a blue and pink sky animated by a lingering mist and gusting wind. These atmospheric effects were later Wadsworth Atheneum Atheneum Wadsworth

www.thewadsworth.org/teachers (860) 838-4170 TEACHER RESOURCE 2 additions, indicating the artist’s intention of permeating the canvas with stirring emotion. Gazing upon the insurmountable power of nature, the viewer is drawn to the emotional immediacy of the work.

The Hudson River School (1825–75) School & Teacher At the dawn of the nineteenth century, American painters turned to the majestic landscape Programs of the new nation as a source of artistic inspiration. Begun in 1825 with the arrival of its acknowledged founder, artist Thomas Cole, in New York state, the Hudson River School became America’s first school of painting, marking a decided shift away from the emphasis on portraiture that flourished during the previous century. The wilderness—which had been feared—was now considered America’s most distinctive feature, a symbol of the nation’s potential. In the absence of the lengthy cultural history that distinguished European nations, the wild terrain of America became both an artistic vehicle to define a national identity and a morally uplifting influence meant to sustain the country’s determined inhabitants.

The Hudson River School artists shared a passion for the beauty of the American landscape, and, accordingly, depicted the wonders of the American wilderness, emphasizing its grandeur and sublime beauty. Their initial subjects included such northeastern natural landmarks as the Hudson River, Catskills Mountains, , and the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The discovery, exploration, and settlement of the land became the subject matter of their paintings, rendered in a realistic, detailed style. As the wilderness gave way to an urban-based society, artists in the movement symbolically revealed the changing relationship between man and nature through the elimination of signs of the booming tourism and industrialization occurring across the nation. These manipulated portrayals of the American landscape sought to convey the Edenic purity of the New World.

By the mid-1850s some American landscape painters developed new aesthetic concerns. Motivated by the latest scientific understandings in the field of geology, artists such as Church traveled to South America, Jamaica, Labrador, and the Near East in search of new inspiration. Geographical surveys led by explorers to the West encouraged artists such as (1830–1902) to join expeditions to observe nature directly. Oil sketches gathered during these excursions later served as references for the artists when they returned to their studios, where they produced more scientifically based and naturalistically accurate works, often grand panoramic compositions on large-scale canvases.

During the period of reconstruction following the Civil War, the market for grand depictions of America’s diverse declined. In addition, with the extension of the country’s railroad lines, citizens across the nation could now view the “Wild West” for themselves. The advent of photography soon eclipsed painting as the medium for capturing the true character of a subject, furthering the waning interest in realistic depictions of American scenery. By the end of the

Museum of Art nineteenth century, with the shift from an agrarian to an urban-based society and the official end of the era of continental exploration, scenes of modern life replaced landscapes as a way to explore and define a national identity.

Hudson River School Collection at the Wadsworth Atheneum The core of the museum’s collection of Hudson River School paintings was formed by two major patrons who lived in Hartford. Daniel Wadsworth, founder of the Wadsworth Atheneum, was Wadsworth Atheneum Atheneum Wadsworth

www.thewadsworth.org/teachers (860) 838-4170 TEACHER RESOURCE 3 the primary patron of Cole and later nurtured the career of Church. His lifelong relationships with leading members of the Hudson River School enabled him to assemble one of the earliest and finest private collections in the country. Similarly, Elizabeth Hart Jarvis Colt (1826–1905), widow of the arms manufacturer , whose factory was based in Hartford, commissioned School & works by Hudson River School artists, notably Church, for her personal picture gallery. Thanks Teacher to the patronage of Wadsworth and Colt, the museum’s collection encompasses two generations Programs of Hudson River School painters, including several important works by Church.

Classroom Activities

Quick Curriculum Connections History: Nineteenth-Century America —The Booming Settlement and Tourism of the American Northeastern Landscape —The Impact of the Industrial Revolution on the American Wilderness Science: Environmental Conservation, Geology, Topography, and Weather (atmosphere and climate) Social Sciences: Defining a National Identity Visual Arts: Plein Air Sketching, Landscape, Light, Panoramas, , Seascape, and Texture

Questions for Guided Looking Investigate this work of art through a classroom dialogue. Begin by asking students questions that elicit descriptive and objective observations. Move toward more abstract and subjective questions that develop students’ critical thinking skills as they seek to interpret the painting. Be sure that students cite visual evidence for their responses. Always encourage them to explore the painting visually before you reveal any information about it.

Adapt the following questions to your students’ level of comprehension.

CONVERSATION STARTERS What do you see? Have students conduct a visual inventory of all of the elements in the painting. If applicable, categorize responses by parts of speech: nouns, verbs, and adjectives.

What colors did artist employ? Are the tones cool or warm, bright or dull? What moods or feelings do these colors convey?

Where is the viewer standing? Do you feel that you could walk into the painting? Ask students to describe the elements in the foreground, middle ground, and background of the scene.

What would the rock in the foreground feel like? If you placed your hand in the water, what temperature would it be?

List the sounds you might hear. How about smells? Tastes? Allow students to suggest made-up words.

Museum of Art Where do your eyes travel first when you look at the painting? How does the artist draw your attention there? To what effect?

What time of day is it? What season is depicted? What temperature might the air be? What is the weather like? Would you go outside in these conditions?

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most, how energetic is the scene? What do you see that makes you say that? Wadsworth Atheneum Atheneum Wadsworth

www.thewadsworth.org/teachers (860) 838-4170 TEACHER RESOURCE 4 DIGGING DEEPER Have you ever been to a place that looks similar to this scene? Give this painting a new title based upon what you see.

School & What messages does the artist convey by choosing to paint this scene in this particular style? Teacher Is this an image of a sunrise or a sunset? Scholars have long debated this topic. Ask students to Programs act as art historians and defend their choice using visual evidence. Would the painting be different if the artist included figures? How does the absence of human figures change the feeling of the painting? Would the painting convey a different feeling if the water were calm rather than choppy? If the artist used more warm hues such as red, orange, and yellow rather than cool tones? Imagine you are standing on the large rock in the foreground. What would you do next?

Writing Activities Many of the skills acquired through the process of carefully looking at works of art are those needed by thoughtful writers. In fact, observation forms the foundation of good writing. Before beginning these activities, be sure to take time to look at the painting with the students. Then, use the exercises below to explore how art can serve as a catalyst for the development of students’ writing skills in the areas of description, persuasion, and creative expression.

A LANDSCAPE’S PERSONALITY Just as a story describes the personalities of its main characters, a is often expressive in its depiction of a place. Church paid special attention to portraying the emotive qualities of this seascape, employing various atmospheric effects such as weather and time of day to stir certain feelings in the viewer.

Begin by conducting a visual analysis of the painting. You might choose to use the Questions for Guided Looking, focusing students’ comments on the colors, lines, and textures used by the artist as well as atmospheric details. What mood do these elements collectively create? How does the painting make students feel? Once your investigation is complete, ask students to answer the following question based on the visual components and expressive qualities of the image: If this landscape were a person, how would you describe his or her personality? Have students brainstorm their ideas by creating a list of adjectives. You may choose to do this exercise individually or as a class, orally or in written form. Share students’ responses and inquire about the visual clues that led them to their conclusions. With the collected reactions, students will choose one or two adjectives and write a brief biography of an individual who possesses those traits.

Museum of Art Looking for additional landscapes depicting the atmospheric qualities of nature? There are plenty in the museum’s galleries. Check out Frederic Edwin Church’s Vale of St. Thomas, Jamaica, 1867 or ’s A Passing Storm in the Adirondacks, 1866 in the Hudson River School galleries. Are you interested in abstract seascapes? Investigate Helen Frankenthaler’s Sea Picture with Black, 1959 or Willem de Kooning’s Montauk I, 1969. Call (860) 838-4100 to discover what is currently on view. Wadsworth Atheneum Atheneum Wadsworth

www.thewadsworth.org/teachers (860) 838-4170 TEACHER RESOURCE 5 WEATHER FORECAST Have students imagine that they have just been hired as a local weatherman. Their first assignment will be to describe the day’s forecast on the six o’clock news tomorrow morning. Using the visual components of the painting, ask students to answer the following questions in School & preparation for delivering their report. You may also refer to the Questions for Guided Looking Teacher provided above. Programs Where is this place?

What type of body of water are you near? Is it large or small? How would you describe the surface of the water?

Describe the rock formations in the painting using as many adjectives as possible.

Look up to the sky. Is it overcast or clear? Are the clouds coming or going? How bright is the sun?

What season is it? What temperature is it?

Is the air humid or dry? Is there an element of wind? If so, is it a breeze or a strong gust?

What would you suggest wearing on a day and in a place like this one?

In which types of activities would you participate in this kind of weather?

In the next hour, what will the weather be like? Sunny? Stormy? Will the weather change throughout the day?

How does this weather make you feel?

Would you vacation in a place that had this type of climate?

After students have conducted their research by investigating the visual qualities of the painting, ask them to write a script for their upcoming broadcast, limiting them to two paragraphs. Encourage students to be as detailed as possible; they will want to paint a picture of tomorrow’s weather using their words alone. Choose several students to perform their reports in front of the class. Be sure all students defend their conclusions with visual evidence.

ADVOCATING FOR THE OUTDOORS Many Hudson River School artists were concerned with the drastic changes they saw in the American landscape as the country moved toward a more urban society and expanded westward. Their work captured the beauty of unadulterated nature, free of settlement and industrialization. As the environmentalist movement gained popularity during the 1970s, these paintings were used to promote the conservation of America’s historic terrain. Using the painting as inspiration, ask students to write their own advertisements promoting the protection of our country’s diverse landscape and natural resources. Museum of Art

The Artist’s Hand: Adding Atmosphere You have just explored this painting with your eyes. Take a moment to respond with your hands.

Church’s “Coast Scene, Mount Desert (Sunrise off the Maine Coast)” was inspired by the precisely detailed oil sketches he produced on site. Upon returning to his studio, his direct observation of nature allowed him to begin his composition with naturalistic accuracy. Wadsworth Atheneum Atheneum Wadsworth

www.thewadsworth.org/teachers (860) 838-4170 TEACHER RESOURCE 6 Interested in the how his seascape could rouse an emotional response from viewers, Church subsequently added various atmospheric elements to his final composition that were not included in his sketches. Invite students to experiment with this artist’s creative process and method of production as they compose their own atmospheric landscapes. School & Teacher Supplies needed: fourteen-by-eleven-inch paper, pastels, pencils, Q-tips, and images of Programs diverse landscapes.

Begin by presenting the class with the premise of the activity described above. Students will then take large sheets of paper and begin sketching a scene from nature. To spark students’ imaginations, pose the following questions: What locations have you traveled to recently? Do you have a favorite vacation spot? If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? What does the landscape surrounding your home or neighborhood look like? Do you often visit the parks, gardens, or lakes in your community? What do these places look like? Display images of diverse landscapes as additional inspiration. Providing books on national or international geography might also prove useful. Be sure students’ drawings are as detailed as possible and emphasize texture and space.

Students will now use pastels to add color to their compositions. Once completed, they will employ Q-tips or other soft media to blend colors to add a sense of atmosphere and mood to their work. Students should consider such natural phenomena as wind, mist, fog, and clouds. Light also plays a key role in creating atmosphere in a work of art. Church makes us wonder whether the sun depicted in his painting is rising or setting. Ask students to layer and blend lighter colors such as pinks, yellows, and whites over their existing drawings to create the element of light in their compositions. Collect students’ artwork and select one or two to discuss as a class. How do they make you feel? What elements of the painting make you feel that way?

VARIATION Do as the artist did! Take your class outdoors to observe nature firsthand and create their initial sketches en plein air.

Just Jargon

Abstract: Style that departs from accurate (realistic) representation. often expresses feelings and ideas through lines, colors, and shapes rather than showing people, places, and things as they appear in real life.

Albert Bierstadt (1830–1902): This artist was a leading figure in the second generation of Hudson River School painters, a contemporary of Church. He joined numerous expeditions to the relatively unexplored western territories, where he drew inspiration for the dramatic depictions of the American West that would make him famous. Characterized by their large scale, Museum of Art romantic lighting, and detailed renderings conveying the grandeur of nature, his panoramic views of the American frontier often draw upon various topographical sketches that he made during his extensive travels across Europe and America. See Teacher Resource: In the Mountains, 1867 for more information about this artist and his work.

Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859): German geographer and scientist, von Humboldt gained an international audience with his text , which chronicled his four-year excursion Wadsworth Atheneum Atheneum Wadsworth

www.thewadsworth.org/teachers (860) 838-4170 TEACHER RESOURCE 7 to Latin America and his resultant revolutionary discoveries concerning the physical history of the earth. His writings inspired Church to make two trips to South America from 1853 to 1857 to retrace the scientist’s travels. Here he rendered detailed oil sketches of his surroundings that later served as inspiration for his studio creations.

School & Atmosphere (adj. atmospheric): Pictorial element used by artists to imbue emotive and Teacher dramatic qualities in their compositions of nature. In Church’s painting, the atmospheric effects Programs he employed include light, clouds, mist, and fog.

Background: The part of a painting that appears the farthest away from the viewer. Objects appear smaller than those found in the rest of the artwork.

Composition: The arrangement or placement of objects within a work of art.

Daniel Wadsworth (1771–1848): This avid traveler and amateur artist and architect was one of the earliest art patrons in the and founded the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, CT in 1842. Due to Wadsworth’s belief that America’s vast wilderness was a symbol of the nation’s potential, he insisted on bringing the aesthetic qualities and historic associations of the northeastern landscape to the nation’s attention. His close associations with the leading members of the Hudson River School facilitated these efforts. Wadsworth is credited with arranging Church’s apprenticeship with Cole.

Elizabeth Hart Jarvis Colt (1826–1905): Widow of arms manufacturer Samuel Colt, a businesswoman and patron of the arts, Elizabeth Colt actively commissioned works by Hudson River School artists for her personal picture gallery, which she began as a memorial to her husband during the Civil War. Among the most notable works were several paintings by Church. Colt bequeathed nearly six hundred objects, including painting by numerous Hudson River School artists, to the Wadsworth Atheneum upon her death.

En Plein Air: A French expression meaning “in the open air.” This term is often used to describe the act of sketching or painting outdoors, a practice employed by a number of Hudson River School artists that was revolutionary for its time.

Foreground: The part of a painting that appears closest to the viewer. Objects appear larger than those found in the rest of the artwork.

Landscape: A scene of nature. Landscape imagery became popular with the advent of the Hudson River School, which displaced portraiture as the leading subject matter in nineteenth- century America.

Middle Ground: The middle layer of a work of art between the foreground and the background.

Panorama (adj. panoramic): An unobstructed view, extending in all directions of a landscape.

Museum of Art Hudson River School painters consistently used this compositional device to demonstrate nature’s power, grandeur, and expansiveness and to symbolically reveal the endless potential of American society.

Realism: Using recognizable imagery to show things as they appear in real life; the opposite of abstraction. Hudson River School artists are known for the heightened use of detail in their depictions of the natural world, which was aided by their direct observance of their subjects, outdoor sketching practices, and newfound scientific understandings in the field of geology. Wadsworth Atheneum Atheneum Wadsworth

www.thewadsworth.org/teachers (860) 838-4170 TEACHER RESOURCE 8 School: A group of artists whose thought, work, or style reflects a common theme. In the case of the Hudson River School artists, their collective vision was a sense of pride and meaning in the beauty of the American wilderness.

Seascape: A painting that includes a body of water. School & Teacher Sublime: As an adjective, impressing upon the mind a sense of awe, veneration, grandeur, and Programs power; as a proper noun, a philosophy distinguishing between what is beautiful and what has the power to destroy or compel us. Hudson River School painters employed the Sublime in their works to represent the magnitude of nature over man.

Texture (adj. textural): How a surface feels (actual) or looks like it would feel (implied). Common textures include smooth, rough, jagged, and slippery.

Thomas Cole (1801–1848): The leading member of the Hudson River School. Cole’s realistic depictions of nature radically broke from the European tradition of manicured and landscapes as he experimented with the primeval wilderness of the American northeast. Cole favored allegorical and moralistic themes in his canvases; he work often warns of the perils inherent in the settlement of the American wilderness. Interested in symbolically portraying the virgin quality of the land, Cole frequently included Native Americans in his compositions while eliminating all signs of human settlement, even those that had already taken place.

Book Resources for Deeper Exploration

Carr, Gerald L. Frederic Edwin Church: Romantic Landscapes and Seascapes. New York: Adelson Galleries Publications, 2008.

Howat, John K. American Paradise: The World of the Hudson River School. Exh. cat. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987.

Millhouse, Barbara Babcock. American Wilderness: The Story of the Hudson River School of Painting. New York: Black Dome Press, 2007.

Navas Sanz de Santamaría, Pablo. The Journey of Frederic Edwin Church through and April–October 1853. Bogotá: Villegas Asociados S.A., 2008.

O’Toole, Judith Hansen. Different Views in Hudson River School Painting. New York: Columbia University Press, 2005.

Sears, John F. Sacred Places: American Tourist Attractions in the Nineteenth Century. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.

Wilmerding, John. The Artist’s Mount Desert: American Painters on the Maine Coast Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994. Museum of Art Web Resources for Deeper Exploration

Additional Hudson River School Lesson Ideas http://www.albanyinstitute.org/education/Hudson%20River%20School/hrs.activities.htm

http://www.hickorymuseumofart.org/pdfs/Hudson%20River%20School%20Era%20 teacher%20packet.pdf Wadsworth Atheneum Atheneum Wadsworth

www.thewadsworth.org/teachers (860) 838-4170 TEACHER RESOURCE 9 Metropolitan Museum of Art Frederic Edwin Church http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/chur/hd_chur.htm Hudson River School School & http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/hurs/hd_hurs.htm Teacher Olana: New England Homestead of Frederic Edwin Church Programs http://www.olana.org/

Select Works of Art by Frederic Edwin Church http://www.museumsyndicate.com/artist.php?artist=421

The Hudson River in the Nineteenth Century and the Modernization of America http://nehhudson.ramapo.edu/links/

The Hudson River School Collection at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art http://www.thewadsworth.org/hudson-river-school/

References

Ayres, Linda, ed. “The Spirit of Genius”: Art at the Wadsworth Atheneum. New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1992.

Craven, Wayne. American Art: History and Culture. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2003.

Johns, Elizabeth, Elizabeth Mankin Kornhauser, and Andrew Sayers. New Worlds from Old”: Nineteenth Century Australian and American Landscapes. Exh. cat. Hartford: Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, 1998.

Kornhauser, Elizabeth Mankin, Amy Ellis, and Maureen Miesmer. Hudson River School: Masterworks from the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. Exh. cat. New Haven and London: Press, 2003.

Kornhauser, Elizabeth Mankin, Elizabeth R. McClintock, and Amy Ellis. American Paintings before 1945 in the Wadsworth Atheneum. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1996.

Stebbins, Jr., Theodore E. The Hudson River School: Nineteenth-Century American Landscapes in the Wadsworth Atheneum. Exh. cat. Hartford: Wadsworth Atheneum, 1976.

Walsh-Piper, Kathleen. Image to Word: Art and Creative Writing. Lanham, Md., and London: Scarecrow Press, 2002.

This teacher resource was written by Emily Pacini Ide, Assistant Museum Educator for Community Programs, with editorial assistance by the museum’s Education and Curatorial departments. Museum of Art

Wadsworth Atheneum Atheneum Wadsworth

www.thewadsworth.org/teachers (860) 838-4170 TEACHER RESOURCE 10 Frederic Edwin Church American, 1826–1900 Coast Scene, Mount Desert (Sunrise off the Maine Coast), 1863 Oil on canvas 36⅛ x 48 in. Bequest of Clara Hinton Gould, 1948.178 From the collection of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT.