Not many people think of conservation when they’re at an art gallery, however, art and conservation go hand in hand more often than you think. The environmental and conservation movements that we see in the United States today first got their start with artists in the early 19th century falling in love with the natural landscape around them.
In America, the modern-day conservation and preservation movement began in the mid-19th century. Artists fell in love with the natural areas around them and wanted to capture its grandeur. They believed the American landscape reflected God’s beauty and should be reflected in their art. The Hudson River School was one of the forerunners of conservation, by painting the Hudson River Valley and surrounding areas in a beautiful, grand, romantic style.
It was the first native school of painting in the United States, up until this point many American artists still followed schools of painting originated in Europe. Hudson River School mainly focused on the grandeur and realism that they saw in the landscape, by playing with the lighting and focusing more on vast landscape painting rather than detailed or stylistic forms. Members would hike out into natural areas (sometimes days or weeks on end) and lose themselves in painting and capturing the beauty that they saw.
Painting of nature on oil and canvas
While first starting in the Hudson River Valley, membership grew across the New England area (even as far as the Mississippi River and Grand Canyon!), so did the range and locations of paintings as well. The group spanned several generations (around 1825-1870) and even had a few revivals throughout the following decades as well. You can go and see these paintings on display at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Connecticut.
During this time of the Hudson River School and early American conservation movement, Henry David Thoreau also wrote his famous Walden. This time period sparked the Transcendentalism movement when people started to viewed nature as inherently good and civilization and industry as bad. This movement bled into American’s love for nature and natural places in multiple genres of art. People wanted to preserve the beauty that they saw by painting and writing about it, as well as physically and legally protecting it.
When Teddy Roosevelt came onto the scene as America’s 26th President he co-founded the Boone and Crockett Club to conserve America’s natural resources. This was soon followed by multiple federal Acts encouraging conservation, the founding of the United States Forest Service, and the creation of several national parks that we still enjoy today.
President Nixon later added on to the movement by creating the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and signed into law the Endangered Species Act (ESA) which gives endangered species in the United States legal protection from extinction.
Whenever you are out in nature next, try your hand at drawing or painting something that is inspiring to you! Not only is a good way to unwind and relax, but you might also learn something new and gain an appreciation for the nature that is around you.
