Landscape Paintings Are Focus of Olana Show -- by the Half Moon Press

May, 2001 issue

Landscape Paintings, Old and New, are Focus of Event at Olana Olana State Historic Site in Hudson, the home and studio of Hudson River artist Frederic E. Church, will join forces with the renowned New York Studio School in Manhattan to celebrate both the traditions and new interpretations of the Hudson River School artists in a weekend of events, May 19-21.

To be called "Repainting Church: The New York Studio School Celebrates Olana and its Hudson River Environs," the focal point of the weekend will be an art exhibition of more than 200 paintings on the beautiful grounds of Olana, painted as a tribute to Frederic Church by contemporary landscape artists. Graham Nickson, dean of the studio will curate.

Church, one of the leading landscape painters of his day, created vast panoramic paintings such as Niagara and The Heart of the Andes. His home, the exotic Moorish-style Olana, is considered his final masterpiece, a multi-dimensional work of art. Church completed Olana only in the last decade of his life, 1890 to 1900. The Olana Partnership, a non-profit organization, is currently mounting a campaign to restore the main house and picturesque landscape of Olana to that decade.

Many artists have already been painting high up on the Olana hillside, which offers unparalleled views of the Hudson River Valley. Their work includes paintings of the picturesque Olana landscape and architecture, and of the natural world of Columbia County and the Hudson Valley, from the Palisades to the Adirondacks.

Organizers of the art exhibition hope the spring's show will develop into a juried competition open to Columbia County and Hudson Valley artists in spring of 2002 as a continuum to supporting contemporary landscape artists.

The weekend events, still being finalized, will include a special Collector's Sunset Supper the evening of May 19th at Olana. Guests will be able to take in the waning spring light as the sun disappears slowly behind the Catskill Mountains, creating a living canvas. The exhibition will be open to the public on Sunday. On Monday, educational sessions will be offered for children.

For more information, call (518) 828-0135.