|
|
 |
|
| Passion Investments: Art |
Native Sons
Elizabeth Harris
11/01/2006
|
Scholars and Schools
Greater scholarly and institutional interest may lead to
continued strong appreciation. Last spring, the National Academy launched two
exhibitions featuring Hudson River school artists. The Wadsworth Atheneum
mounted an important exhibition of its large collection last summer; "American
Splendor" will run through 2006. The New York Historical Society’s "Nature and
the American Vision" will remain on view through March 2007. | FIRE ISLAND Beach by Sanford Robinson Gifford went for $2.14 million. |
Moreover, new scholarship is lending greater attention to the
stylistic differences within the Hudson River School. Cole, who was English and
exposed to the horrors of industrialization as a young man, revered the American
wilderness in a spiritual way, says Betsy Kornhauser, the Krieble curator of
American painting and sculpture at the Wadsworth Atheneum. Artists in the latter
half of the Hudson River School, or the second generation, who matured after the
midcentury, traveled more extensively and reflected the nation’s tension during
the Civil War era through moody and dramatic skies in their art. Gifford served
in the Civil War.Hank Martin reached a personal milestone when he lent to the
National Academy the 18 Hudson River School paintings that he and his wife,
Sharon, gathered over the years. He was first attracted to the natural beauty of
paintings by Gifford, Cole, Durand, Church and Cropsey, whose works normally
hang in the couple’s Litchfield County, Conn., home. As his interest and
collection grew, Martin decided to contribute to Hudson River scholarship by
lending the works. He also has discovered new facts about the artwork. When
Martin carefully examined the canvas of a Martin Johnson Heade marsh scene he
purchased, he found that Heade had inscribed "Lynn Meadows, Mass." on the
back. Martin’s discovery added to his enjoyment of the painting, but also added
to Hudson River School scholars’ understanding of Heade’s whereabouts. VALUE JUDGEMENT
Artists of the Hudson River School represent the United States’
first native style and subject. Men such as Asher B. Durand, Thomas Cole and
Frederic Church painted luminous landscapes of not only the great river, but
also of vistas across the U.S. and on several continents during the 19th
century. Today, interest in their work is booming, fueled by a nativist fervor
and a deepening scholarship into their art. |
David Kabiller, a founding principal with the hedge fund
AQR Capital Management in Greenwich, Conn., purchased the 10 Hudson River
School paintings in his collection over the past few years. While many of
his peers are drawn tocontemporary art, he responds to the beauty, light and
hopeful vision of America represented in Hudson River School landscapes. "I
still do not understand sharks in formaldehyde," he says.
Some collectors focus on art representing specific
geographies—Lake George vistas such as those by Kensett, for example. Others may
prefer works from a certain period, such as those painted just before and during
the Civil War. Collectors can find fine examples of these pieces in the $200,000
to $500,000 range. Shaping a collection around a theme can help create a
coherent group of paintings and enhance the value when taken as a whole. This
also helps art advisors and dealers scout more selectively on a collector’s
behalf.
A strategy may also boost a museum’s interest in a collection,
such as the National Academy’s enthusiasm for the Martins’ paintings.
The couple
focused their efforts on small easel paintings created en
plein air. These
differ from some of the grand examples painted for
exhibitions, such as Cole’s
The Course of Empire, a five-piece allegory
chronicling the rise and fall of civilization,
now in the New York
Historical Society’s permanent collection. "I tend to be
more attracted
to a spontaneous, fresh picture where the artist was painting for
himself," Martin says. Fashion Victims
Interest in these pastoral scenes has waxed and waned over
time. From the 1820s through the 1880s, cultural Brahmins celebrated artists
such as Cole, Church, Durand and Albert Bierstadt, making them enormously
popular within their lifetimes. The painters, in turn, spread their wings,
exploring New England, the American West, Europe and South America. Church’s
The Heart of the
Andes attracted 12,000 spectators during its opening
three weeks in 1859. Impressionism brought an end to the Hudson River School’s
dominance, as the public welcomed paintings beyond idealistic
landscapes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
