A Photographic Journey to the Hudson River School of Painting – Part I

My wife Margot and I have long been interested in the Hudson River School of Painting. Founded by Thomas Cole in the 1820’s, the Hudson River School was the first recognized art movement in the United States. The School comprised over 20 major artists and numerous others, and extended from the 1820’s until approximately 1875. It is particularly known for dramatic landscapes of the pristine wilderness of early America, including paintings depicting scenes of the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains. Cedar Grove, the original home and studio of Thomas Cole, is located near the west bank of the Hudson River in the town of Catskill, New York. Now known as the Thomas Cole National Historic Site, it has been carefully restored and was opened to the public several years ago as a museum. You can learn more about the museum at its website at http://www.thomascole.org/.

In addition to an informative tour of the premises, the Thomas Cole National Historic Site offers a Trail Map and guided tours of several other sites in the vicinity of Cedar Grove that were inspirational to Cole and other artists of the Hudson River School and are the subject of many of their paintings. Some of these sites can only be reached by uphill hikes, which range from easy to moderately difficult. Margot and I looked at the trail map and decided to visit each of the marked sites on our own.

The first site on our list was Kaaterskill Falls, a two-drop waterfall which, at a combined 260 feet, is one of the highest falls in New York State. It is located off Route 23A about 15 miles west of the town of Catskill, in the Catskill Forest Preserve, between the towns of Palenville and Haines Falls. Beneath the base of Kaaterskill Falls, at ground level beside Route 23A, you can see a smaller but perhaps no less beautiful waterfall known as Bastion Falls:

Bastion Falls

You can view a larger version of any image in this blog by clicking on it. You can also view larger versions of my photos and other related photos on my Photo Website in the Hudson Valley Gallery.

The base of the falls can now only be reached by a trail that starts at the top of the falls and descends steeply down the side of the falls. The top of the falls is easily accessible from a parking lot located at the end of Laurel House Rd., which can be reached from Route 23A via Route 18. The steep climb down to the base of Kaaterskill Falls is rewarded by an astonishing sight:

Kaaterskill Falls

(Note: In the original version of this article, I noted that I had hiked up to the base of the falls from ground level beside Route 23A. However, parking along Route 23A is no longer permitted and so the base must now be reached by hiking down from the top of the falls.)

Kaaterskill Falls was painted numerous times by Thomas Cole from various perspectives, including this 1826 oil on canvas:

Falls of the Kaaterskill

The existence of the falls was called to Cole’s attention by Washington Irving’s story “Rip Van Winkle”, published in 1819. Describing Rip Van Winkle’s journey home after awakening from his 20-year sleep, Irving wrote about the falls: “At length he reached to where the ravine had opened through the cliffs to the amphitheatre; but no traces of such an opening remained. The rocks presented a high impenetrable wall, over which the torrent came tumbling in a sheet of feathery foam, and fell into a deep broad basin, black from the shadows of the surrounding forest.”

The hike to Kaaterskill Falls completed the first day of our visit to the origins of the Hudson River School of Painting. Our subsequent visits will be the subject of later posts.

For additional examples of, and information about, my photography, please see my photography website and my photography Facebook page.

Phil Haber

Copyright © 2011 Philip A. Haber

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