In addition to creating landscapes on canvas, both Thomas Cole and Frederic Church actively shaped the architectural and garden features of their respective home-studios in Catskill and Hudson, New York. The Italianate buildings Cole designed for Cedar Grove and the Persian- style house and picturesque paths and vistas Church created at Olana were based on their knowledge of landscape theory and their experience as landscape painters and as artist-tourists abroad.

 

SERIES OVERVIEW: This three-part series conducted by art historian, Julie Levin Caro, explores the various visual and cultural contexts surrounding the Hudson River school of landscape painting.