Since moving to the Hudson River Valley four years ago, I have very much enjoyed working as a volunteer docent at the home of Thomas Cole, the early 19th century artist who inspired the Hudson River School of landscape painters. I recommend the house tour for those interested in architecture and social history as well as American art history, but there are two events in October that could be of particular interest to a broader audience.
On Sunday, October 10, at 2 pm Sarah Burns will give the 5th Annual Raymond Beecher Memorial Lecture: Outdoor Men: Manliness, Masculinity, and the Antebellum Landscape Painter. Dr. Burns is the Ruth N. Halls Professor of Fine Arts at Indiana University. She will examine the ways in which Hudson River School painters attempted to reckon with the problematic aura of femininity that clung to the image of the artist at that time. Admission is $7 per person, or $5 for members, and is first-come-first-served. The event will be held in Temple Israel, which shares a parking lot with the Thomas Cole Historic Site.
October is the last month for the 2010 exhibition, “Remember the Ladies.” This is the first known exhibition in the United States to focus on the women artists associated with the Hudson River School of landscape painting. This is a small show, approximately 25 works, but a good one, with an excellent catalog. Because the gallery is located within the house, the exhibition is included as a short segment (10 minutes at most) of the house tour. If you’d rather have more time with the paintings, call ahead to arrange a viewing.
