On the Hudson

German-American painter Albert Bierstadt was associated with the Hudson River School, a group of naturalist painters known for sublime landscapes bathed in golden light with soft brushstrokes. Bierstadt chose romantic subjects, often scenes from the American West, which included looming storms, monumental canyons and billowing clouds. More subdued than his typically dramatic depictions of nature?s omnipotence, On the Hudson captures the Hudson River shoreline on a calm day. Painted in cool muted tones, this work depicts a pebbled beach that foregrounds the windswept surface of the water. A distant tree-covered mountain range commands the skyline and frames the scene.