Hudson River School

Definition

An American art movement in the mid-19th century characterized by landscapes that romanticize nature, particularly scenes along the Hudson River Valley and surrounding areas including the Catskill, Adirondack, and White Mountains.

Related terms

Thomas Cole: Known as founder of Hudson River School who is famous for his landscape paintings emphasizing American wilderness.

Manifest Destiny: The 19th-century doctrine or belief that expansion across North America was justified and inevitable. This idea often showed up in Hudson River School paintings as they depicted westward expansion landscapes.

Romanticism: An artistic movement that emphasized emotion and individualism as well as glorification of all past and nature. The Hudson River School was part of this larger Romantic movement.