 |
| Figure 1: Northwest View from Trophy Point at West Point Overlooking Storm King Mountain and the Hudson River |
 |
| Figure 2: View from Trophy Point at West Point Overlooking Storm King Mountain, from The Hudson River Highlands by Francis Dunwell |
Intrigued
by both the seductive beauty and the awe-inspiring qualities of American nature,
the Hudson River School artists manifested Romanticism’s foundations. They
found creative awakening in the sublimity discovered in nature and sought to
capture this notion with every stroke of paint placed on their canvases.
This nineteenth-century movement was named after the members’ affinity for
painting the Hudson River and areas encompassing it, such as the Adirondack and
Catskill mountain ranges.
Painters of the school frequently placed emphasis on the harmonious coexistence
of humanity and nature, but they also heavily associated the spiritual with
what they observed. Hudson River School members felt strongly that the American
wilderness was the actual materialization of the Holy Spirit.
The American landscape movement was also founded on the basis of producing a
national identity for the states. The primary components of this artistic
development were rooted in the need to motivate and inspire Americans and
future inhabitants to travel and explore their countryside.
The painting I discuss here,
Northwest View from Trophy Point at West Point Overlooking Storm King Mountain and the Hudson River (Figure 1), is an unsigned and undated work that I viewed at a conservator’s studio in
Birmingham, Alabama. The painting was purchased at an antique shop in New
England and is now in a local private collection. The painting
gives a panoramic impression, as the width is much greater than its height.
Conforming to the dimensions of the painting, the frame hosts ornate details
and areas of oxidation all over its surface. The painting is oil based and
appears to have no damage or wear, as the surface appears taught, bright and
intact. This artwork is not signed or dated, nor is its provenance documented. Based on the subject matter and style of this painting, I suggest
that the location depicted is most likely a northwest view from Trophy point at
West Point overlooking Storm King Mountain and the Hudson River and place its creation during the years 1843-1847.
My research suggests that the
probable geographic location of the painting is West Point on the Hudson River,
looking toward Storm King Mountain. The artist has chosen to represent a
northwest view with significant historical context. From this point, the
observer is strategically situated so that Storm King Mountain is just
beginning to take shape on the left side of the canvas. In the foreground, the
earth rises and falls, altering the perspective of the spectator by masking
other components of the actual landscape. The form of Constitution Island
should be visible on the right side of the work, but the artist has chosen to
manipulate the perspective, so that this feature is hidden. This exclusion
might have been made because of stylistic necessity, as the Island may have
taken away from emphasis placed on the outward expanse of the landscape.
Another island that can be identified is in the form of an extremely small,
dark and distant land mass.
Northwest View from Trophy Point features three mountain ranges in
its right portion. The third and most distant mountain reveals a small darkened
area just off its coast. This feature is believed to be Pollepel Island, also
referred to as Bannerman’s Island. The existence of this land mass strengthens
the claim of the painting’s suggested view. Furthermore, modern day photographs
taken from Trophy Point reveal a similar coastline as the one seen within
Northwest View from Trophy Point. The
direction of the setting sun, as seen in photographs from this location, can
also be aligned with the light source seen in the painting (Figure 2). Used
as the subject and viewpoint of many works dating from the early
nineteenth-century, Trophy Point is an elevated location with a famously scenic
view of the Hudson River. Though not referred to as Trophy Point until the very
late nineteenth-century, many artists traversed the coastline surrounding West
Point, looking for the perfect composition.
A Hudson River School painter
would be drawn to this location, not only for its unending beauty, but also for
its national significance. The historical grounds of West Point began around
1802 when President Thomas Jefferson guaranteed that a United States Military
Academy would be built. The West Point campus is considered to be a national
landmark and plays host to many other historically relevant sites.
It
was this belief in unity and settlement of land that strengthened the bond
between this location and Hudson River painters.
In conclusion, while the work
is not signed, dated or accompanied by any written records, evidence has been
provided that allows for the claims suggested to be greatly strengthened. The
American landscape movement was founded on the basis of producing a national
identity for the states. Hudson River School painters strove to capture the
American lifestyle and mindset through the depiction of the very thing that
brought them here, the land. By capturing the most inspiring elements from
several different locations, artists were able to build, not only an
aesthetically pleasing composition, but one that symbolically captured the
connecting foundations upon which America was built. In this work,
Northwest View from Trophy Point, the
ideas and beliefs surrounding American landscape painting are perfectly
pictured. The artist chose to provide a unique perspective for the viewer by
choosing to paint this work from the coastline of West Point, an area laden
with rich history. The scenic, panoramic view works to pull the observer into
the work and the true spirit of America. -Megan Hicks
1. Diana Strazdes, "Wilderness and Its Waters: A Professional Identity
for the Hudson River School,"
Early American Studies: An
Interdisciplinary Journal 7, no. 2 (2009): 358.
2
. Strazdes,
"Wilderness and Its Waters: A Professional Identity for the Hudson River
School," 335.
3.
Strazdes,
"Wilderness and Its Waters: A Professional Identity for the Hudson River
School," 358.
4. Angela Miller,
The Empire of the Eye: Landscape
Representation and American Cultural Politics, 1825-1875 (New York: Cornell
University Press, 1993), 14.
5. Frances Dunwell,
The Hudson River Highlands
(New York: Columbia Press University, 1991), 67.
6. Robert McDonald, “Thomas Jefferson’s Military
Academy: Founding West Point,”
The Journal of Southern History 72, no. 3
(2006): 660.
