Experts commonly accept the Hudson River School, led by Thomas Cole, as the first true American art school and movement. They looked at the American landscape and saw something the natural settings of England and Europe did not offer. That natural newness fit in beautifully with the uniqueness of the American democratic experiment. Thanks to the Thomas Cole National Historic Site, we can now walk in the footsteps and see what the Hudson River School painters once saw, or at least as close an approximation as modernity allows. The Hudson River School Art Trail takes us back in time to when the land was pristine and the American democratic dream still seemed attainable. Please come over to Picture This at Big Think to read more of "Hitting the Trail."
