Museum to exhibit Hudson River School artists

Scranton — Three generations of artists and over 100 paintings will be on view when the Everhart Museum presents “American Scenery: Different Views in Hudson River School Painting,” a traveling exhibition organized by the Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg, Pa. The exhibit opens to the public beginning May 4, and will continue on display through September 2. The Hudson River School, considered by many to be the first truly American school of painting, flourished between 1825 and 1875. The movement was embraced by three generations of artists who shared common principles uniting them as a school despite their individual differences in style. Primary among these was a belief in natural religion, a deep admiration for the magnificence of nature, and a keen interest in the direct observation of nature. Most importantly, however, was awareness of the fresh, untamed American scenery as reflective of the optimism and independence of our character as a young nation. American Scenery: Different Views in Hudson River School Painting features the work of key figures in the movement: Albert Bierstadt, Frederick Edwin Church, Thomas Cole, Jasper Francis Cropsey, Asher B, Durand, as well as women members Laura Woodward and Edith Wilkinson Cook and other accomplished but lesser known artists. Founded in 1908, the Everhart Museum of Natural History, Science & Art is the largest general museum in northeastern Pennsylvania. For more information visit www.everhart-museum.org or call 570-346-7186.