'The Hudson River School: Part 2'
(John Wilmerding, Dr. John Driscoll, Kevin Avery, Louis Salerno, Anthony Speiser, Elizabeth Jacks, et al / DVD / G / 2019 / PBS)
Overview: In 19th century, artist Thomas Cole and engraver Asher Durand established an artistic movement that became The Hudson River School.
The next generation expanded their palette with a technique that was immersed in light. This artistic innovation was later hailed as, "The Luminist Movement."
This film tells the story of these artists who became the greatest landscape painters in the world!
DVD Verdict: Simply put, the Hudson River School was America's first fraternity of landscape painters started by Thomas Cole and Asher Durand.
In Part 1, the Hudson River School: Artistic Pioneers focused on the story of these men and their message, its founder Thomas Cole, and other influential celebrants of this movement.
These artistic pioneers and like-minded devotees came to reverently be known as The Hudson River School.
In the vicinity of New York's Hudson River Valley, the Adirondack Mountains, Catskill Mountains, and the White Mountains of New Hampshire, a group of American painters led by British born artist Thomas Cole forged an artistic vision of the American wilderness.
Here in Part 2, they focus on the second generation of Hudson River School artists: Sanford Gifford, John Kensett, Fitz Henry Lane, and others, who would challenge traditionalism, and expand their palettes with a sophisticated technique that was reflective, atmospheric and immersed in light.
Much like Part 1, this follow up is a beautifully textured historical account of the Hudson River School painters and the unique and powerful artistic movement they created.
Whether you are new to the work of these artists or a long time fan, these type of shows will provide an insight into the principal figures and truly demonstrate the depth of their genius.
An excellent, if not wholly eye-opening work by creator Vin Tabone, here Bruce Chandler's narration gushes many praises and enthusiasm and is, thankfully, never tedious or overbearing as he does so.
Sure at times the camerawork pans across canvases at a swifter pace than regular gallery showings would, but there are also magnificent slower showcasing too, of course.
As noted, this new artistic innovation would later be hailed as “The Luminist Movement," and we get a sense of that throughout this quite wondrous hour-long documentary.
In closing, 'The Hudson River School: Part 2 - Cultivating A Tradition' is a highly informative and beautifully done work of visual art and features some rather excellent biographies of the principal artists of the Hudson River School. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.78:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.
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