Frederic Edwin Church

Frederic Edwin Church was an American Romantic landscape painter and a central figure in the Hudson River School. Born on May 4, 1826, in Hartford, Connecticut, Church studied with Thomas Cole and was known for his detailed and dramatic depictions of landscapes, including mountains, waterfalls, and sunsets. His work emphasized realistic detail, dramatic light, and panoramic views. Church’s artistic tours took him to exotic locations, from the Arctic Circle to the Middle East, making him one of the most famous painters in the United States during his prime.

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Frederic Church was finacially a very successful artist, and was reported to be worth half a million dollars at his death in 1900 ($15 million in 2020). Church was also one of the most gifted painters of light and air of the Romantic period, known for his meticulous rendering of landscape and attention to natural phenomena like sunlight, moonlight, and mist. He was also a direct descendant of Richard Church, a Puritan pioneer from England.

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