Ecuador, Mt. Chimborazo

Frederic Edwin Church prints bring the grandeur of the Americas into your home: blazing sunsets, smoking volcanoes, the roaring waters of Niagara and the tropical valleys of the Andes. Church was a central figure of the Hudson River School and, in his prime, one of the most famous painters in the United States. This collection gathers art prints of his great landscapes, oil sketches of skies and mountains, and views of the Hudson Valley from his home at Olana.

About Frederic Edwin Church

Frederic Edwin Church was born in Hartford, Connecticut, on 4 May 1826, the son of a prosperous silversmith and businessman. In 1844, aged 18, he became the pupil of Thomas Cole in Catskill, New York, and studied with him for two years. Cole wrote that Church had "the finest eye for drawing in the world". In 1848 he became the youngest associate of the National Academy of Design.

Inspired by the explorer Alexander von Humboldt, Church traveled to South America in 1853 and 1857, staying mostly in Quito and painting the volcanoes and valleys of Ecuador and Colombia. He showed his major works such as Niagara and Heart of the Andes in single-painting exhibitions in New York, where crowds paid to see them. He also traveled to Labrador to paint icebergs, to Jamaica, and in 1867–69 to Europe and the Middle East.

In 1860 he married Isabel Carnes, and the couple built Olana, a Persian-inspired house and estate above the Hudson River. From 1876 rheumatoid arthritis made painting difficult. Church died in New York on 7 April 1900. Olana is now a state historic site.

Style and Subjects

Church's paintings combine huge, panoramic views with astonishing detail. He studied rocks, plants, clouds and light with scientific care, then built them into dramatic compositions with blazing sunsets, mist and towering mountains.

His subjects range from the wilderness of New England and Maine to the Andes, the Arctic and the ancient sites of Petra, Athens and Baalbek. His many small oil sketches of clouds, sunsets and the Hudson Valley are fresh and immediate.

Famous Works

• Niagara (1857), Corcoran Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington. The great falls seen from the edge of the water, a sensation when first shown.
• Heart of the Andes (1859), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. A vast Andean panorama, shown to huge crowds in New York.
• Twilight in the Wilderness (1860), Cleveland Museum of Art. A fiery sunset over the American wilderness.
• The Icebergs (1861), Dallas Museum of Art. Arctic icebergs painted after his trip to Labrador.
• Cotopaxi (1862), Detroit Institute of Arts. An erupting volcano in Ecuador, its smoke glowing in the sun.
• Aurora Borealis (1865), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington. The northern lights over an Arctic landscape.
• Niagara Falls, from the American Side (1867), Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh. A towering, vertical view of the falls.

Decorating with Church Prints

Church's great landscapes make a dramatic focal point in a living room, dining room or above a fireplace. Their glowing reds, golds and deep greens look magnificent in wide gilt frames and suit traditional, lodge and classic American interiors.

His Hudson Valley and Maine views and smaller sky studies work beautifully in a study, bedroom or hallway, and a group of sunset sketches makes a striking gallery wall.

FAQ

What art movement was Frederic Edwin Church part of?

Church was a central figure of the Hudson River School, the 19th-century American landscape movement. He was the only formal pupil of the school's founder, Thomas Cole.

What is Frederic Edwin Church's most famous painting?

Heart of the Andes (1859), in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is his most famous work. Niagara (1857) and Twilight in the Wilderness (1860) are also celebrated.

Where can I see Church's original paintings?

Major works are at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. His home Olana in Hudson, New York, is open to visitors.

How can you recognize a Frederic Edwin Church painting?

Look for vast, panoramic landscapes with intense detail, dramatic light, glowing sunsets and natural wonders such as waterfalls, volcanoes and icebergs.

Why did Church travel to South America?

He was inspired by the explorer Alexander von Humboldt, who had urged artists to paint the landscapes of the Andes. Church traveled there in 1853 and 1857 and painted some of his greatest works from those trips.

Related Artists

• Thomas Cole — founder of the Hudson River School and Church's teacher
• Albert Bierstadt — fellow painter of grand American landscapes
• Jasper Francis Cropsey — Hudson River School painter of autumn scenery
• Sanford Robinson Gifford — Hudson River School painter of luminous light
• Martin Johnson Heade — friend and fellow traveler to South America