The Hudson River School: Landscape and Ideology

3 units

The American landscape painters who have gained recognition and broad public appeal as members of The Hudson River School have been received since their time in a triumphalist discourse of cultural nationalism. This seminar seeks to break down the provincialism that has characterized accounts of this loose and problematic grouping of artists by reading the most thoughtful scholarship on their work and placing their productions in international context. With focused attention to the work of individual artists like Thomas Cole, Frederic Church, and Robert Duncanson, to their dialogues with the broader Americas and Europe, and to their receptions up to the present day, participants will each develop a substantial, independent research project that adds to our understanding of this still inadequately understood moment in the history of art. In the process, the course will equip students with comfort with a wide range of scholarship in the nascent field of Landscape Studies that will be of value in approaching other regions and periods. This course is open both to graduate students and advanced undergraduates, with distinct reading and writing expectations for each category. Prerequisites: Intro to Western Art (L01 113) or Intro to Modern Art (L01 215); one 300-level course in Art History preferred; or permission of instructor.