The Hudson River School was an art movement that was influenced by Romanticism. It was embodied by a group of landscape painters that wanted to show the world the beauty of the US. During the Gilded Age, America went through quick industrialization, to grow the industry started to explore everything including the environment, there was heavy use of oil, coal that increased air and water pollution.
Those consequences of industrialism fueled the concepts of conservatism and preservation. John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt worked then to create National Parks, to protect America’s landscapes and animals. People started to be aware and advocate to protect nature and natural resources - for example Forest Reserve Act (1891), Sierra Club (1892), National Reclamation Act (1902), US Forest Service (1905)-.
So you can notice that after heavy industrialization, people went back into the Hudson River School concept and started to pay attention to the beauty of American nature.
Significance of the Hudson River School in the antebellum era to the reaction to the exploitation of American environment during the Gilded Age was that it was warning against the environment exploitation because of factories established in the Gilded Age.
Further Explanations:
Hudson River School was an American art school started in the antebellum era. The school was famous for numerous of painters of landscape, who were swayed by Romanticism. The paintings were revealing the beauty of Hudson River Valley and the landscape nearby it that includes the White Mountains, Adirondack, and Catskill.
Antebellum era and the gilded age are of the same epoch but are unquestionably dissimilar from each other. Glided age was the era in the United States marked by the monetary growth in the Northern and the Western areas of America. Rapid development of trades and arrival of numerous migrants was also marked during the epoch while the antebellum era refers to the era after the war that is marked by the nation’s expansion and economic reforms.
The painters of the schools were against industrialization as according to the industries will destroy the beauty of nature. Establishment of numerous industries leads to the destruction of forests and other natural resources.
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Answer Details
Grade: High school
Subject: US History
Chapter: Hudson River School
Keywords:
Hudson River School, American, art, antebellum era, landscape, Romanticism, Hudson River Valley, White Mountains, Adirondack, Catskill, Antebellum era, gilded age
