Dutch 17th Century Influence on the Hudson River School
6-weeks | Registration closed 9/1/2024
The Hudson River School artists and the Dutch landscape painters of the 17th century shared similarities in culture and philosophy, in terms of economy, religion, and a sense of civic or national pride, as well as a shared interest in landscape painting. Many factors, including the Dutch history of the NY region, travels abroad to view work of Old Masters, and exchange of ideas contributed to Hudson River School interest in Dutch art. A close visual comparison of works of art by these HRS artists and Dutch landscape painters shows remarkable similarities that we will study and research.
Alex Baer
Alex Baer: My grandfather Curtis Baer taught 16th & 17th century Dutch Landscape at Vassar in the 1960’s. His knowledge inspired me to study art history and eventually also become a professional sculptor. This period of art history is particularly interesting since I see the similarities of the Dutch landscape with those in the Hudson Valley, so much so that it was the topic of my dissertation. I studied with Dr. Agnes Mongan at Harvard, where she was the first woman museum curator at the university’s Fogg Art Museum. She and my grandfather were dear friends/colleagues and influenced my studies.