Hudson Valley Landscape
ca. 1880
Frederic Edwin Church, a star of the Hudson River School, captured the dramatic mood of the Hudson Valley in this moody, unfinished sketch from around 1880. Notice how the bottom third of the canvas is completely bare, revealing the raw surface beneath the sweeping strokes of green fields and distant, purple-hued mountains. The sky is a spectacular show of turbulent clouds painted in fiery reds and eerie greens, hinting at a storm either approaching or just passing. It's a fascinating glimpse into the artist's process, showing how he built up the atmosphere of the American landscape before adding the final details.
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