Asher Brown Durand

Key facts

Lived

1796–1886, American^[2]

Movement

• Hudson River school

^[2]

Works held in

36 museums^[1]

Wikipedia

View article

• The Catskill Valley

  Philbrook Museum of Art

  Tulsa, United States

  1 works

  Museum detailsMap

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• What is Asher Brown Durand known for?+

  Asher Brown Durand is known for his work with the Hudson River School and his earlier career as an engraver. He was considered the leading engraver in America after his 1823^[2] rendition of John Trumbull's Declaration of Independence.
• What is Asher Brown Durand's most famous work?+

  Asher Brown Durand is associated with the Hudson River School, a group of painters who depicted river and mountain scenes, especially those untouched by Europeans. Durand moved from engraving to painting landscapes after being invited to accompany Thomas Cole on a sketching trip in 1837^[2]. Durand's most famous work is Kindred Spirits, completed in 1849. The painting memorialised the friendship between Thomas Cole and William Cullen Bryant, a popular poet and newspaper editor. Cole, who died of pleurisy in 1848 at age 47, was the founder of the Hudson River School. Durand's painting depicts Cole and Bryant in a natural setting. Durand also wrote about art. In his "Letters on Painting", published in 1855, he stated that the glorious pictures of nature are types of the Divine attributes. He advised Christians to conform their lives to the beautiful order of God's works through daily contemplation.
• What should I know about Asher Brown Durand's prints?+

  Asher Brown Durand (1796^[2]-1886^[2]) was an American^[2] painter associated with the Hudson River School. Prints are made by creating a design on a hard surface, such as wood or metal. The surface is inked, and then pressed against paper, transferring the image. Woodcuts were among the earliest methods for duplicating images. Later, artists such as Rembrandt achieved subtle effects using drypoint techniques. However, until the late 1800s, most artists focused on unique artworks, rather than multiples. In the 1870s, printmaking, previously a commercial process, was revitalised by painter-engravers such as Pissarro, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Munch. Before this period, artists hand-coloured etchings (prints made using one ink colour). The Impressionists saw Japanese colour woodblock prints using different coloured inks, and they began applying this technique to drypoint prints and colour lithographs. Colour prints became popular in France in the 1890s, and the limited-edition colour print was created. Prints were not widely considered collectible art until the 1960s, when galleries specialising in prints began to open. Contemporary artists experimented with oversized prints, rivaling the scale of canvases.
• What style or movement did Asher Brown Durand belong to?+

  Asher Brown Durand belonged to the Hudson River School, America's first native painting movement. The group, which also included Thomas Cole, John F Kensett, and Thomas Doughty, concentrated on painting the American^[2] continent. Before this shift, American artists had looked to Europe for inspiration. Durand and other members of the Hudson River School created visual sermons on nature's glories. They combined realistic detail with idealised composition, creating a form of romantic realism. The scenes often had a large scale, with sweeping panoramic horizons. These vistas suggested America's unlimited future. Durand's work differed from that of Cole, who gave priority to imagination. Durand preferred accurate portrayals, studying the details of rocks, foliage, light, and colour. Despite this preference for accuracy, his paintings still retained qualities of feeling and mood.
• What techniques or materials did Asher Brown Durand use?+

  Information on Asher Brown Durand's specific techniques and materials is scarce in the provided texts. However, we can infer some practices from the general context of painting in the 19th century. Artists of this period typically began with preparatory drawings. They then transferred the composition to a prepared canvas. This often involved outlining the main elements and indicating areas of light and shadow. Oil paint was the dominant medium. Artists mixed pigments to achieve desired colours and effects. The texts note the use of lead white, ochres, cobalt blue, and synthetic ultramarine in similar academic painting of the time. Glazes, thin transparent layers of paint, were used to add depth and modify colours. Some artists employed varnish-modified oil mediums, though the wisdom of this was debated. The surface finish could vary. Some artists favoured smooth, blended surfaces, while others allowed brushstrokes to remain visible. The choice of ground colour, the initial layer on the canvas, also influenced the final appearance of the painting. White grounds were increasingly common, as they enhanced luminosity.
• What was Asher Brown Durand known for?+

  Asher Brown Durand (1796^[2]-1886^[2]) was a prominent figure in the Hudson River School, America's first native painting movement. The group, which also included Thomas Cole, John F Kensett, and Thomas Doughty, concentrated on painting the American^[2] continent. Before this, American artists had primarily followed European trends. Durand is known for his detailed, realistic portrayals of nature. He studied the properties of light and colour, as well as the details of rocks and foliage, and how these changed with time and weather. While his style differed from Cole's emphasis on imagination, Durand's paintings still conveyed feeling and mood. Durand's "Kindred Spirits" (1849^[2]) depicts Cole and the poet William Cullen Bryant overlooking Kaaterskill Clove in the Catskill Mountains. The painting portrays the two men as individuals within nature, engaged in a visual and poetic conversation. Durand travelled with Cole in the Catskill Mountains in 1837. In 1845, the pair founded the National Academy of Design in New York City.
• Where can I see Asher Brown Durand's work?+

  Asher Brown Durand's work can be viewed in several galleries and museums. In New York, examples can be seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art. Outside of New York, US galleries holding his work include the National Gallery of Art and the National Museum of American^[2] Art in Washington, DC; the Philadelphia Museum of Art; the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the Minneapolis Institute of Arts; the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art in Winter Park, Florida; and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond. There are no listings for galleries outside of the United States that hold his work.
• Where was Asher Brown Durand from?+

  Asher Brown Durand was an American^[2] artist associated with the Hudson River School. He was a contemporary and friend of Thomas Cole (the school's founder), and like Cole, he painted American natural scenery. Durand was born in 1796^[2], and he died in 1886^[2]. In 1837^[2], Durand travelled with Cole to the Catskill Mountains in New York State. Later, in 1845, Durand and Cole founded the National Academy of Design in New York City. Durand's style differed from Cole's; Durand preferred accurate portrayals of nature over imaginative or idealised ones. He studied the details of rocks, foliage, light, and colour as affected by weather. His paintings, such as *Kindred Spirits* (1849), show a Romantic mood.
• Who did Asher Brown Durand influence?+

  Asher Brown Durand, a leading figure of the Hudson River School, had an impact on American^[2] art through his detailed, realistic style and his writings on art and nature. Durand's linear style initially influenced George Inness, though Inness later moved away from it. Frederic Church, a student of Thomas Cole, sought to combine Cole's interpretive style with Durand's realism, while also focusing on the spiritual aspects of nature. Durand's emphasis on light, smooth paint handling, and spiritual qualities in nature also had germs of influence on Luminism. However, Luminists preferred to exclude human figures from their paintings, unlike Durand, who often included people in his works. Durand, along with Thomas Cole, founded the National Academy of Design in New York City in 1845^[2]. He advocated for the contemplation of nature as a source of spiritual and moral improvement.
• Who influenced Asher Brown Durand?+

  Asher Brown Durand, a leading figure of the Hudson River School, was influenced by several sources. Thomas Cole, considered the founder of the movement, certainly impacted Durand. The two artists journeyed together in the Catskill Mountains in 1837^[2]. In 1845, they co-founded the National Academy of Design in New York City. Durand's painting *Kindred Spirits* (1849) depicts Cole with William Cullen Bryant. Durand's artistic approach differed from Cole's. He favoured accurate portrayals of nature over imaginative depictions. Durand studied the details of rocks, foliage, light, and colour, noting how these changed with time and weather. Literary and philosophical currents also shaped Durand's work. Like other Hudson River School painters, Durand was influenced by the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Their Transcendental philosophy emphasised the spiritual qualities of nature. Durand's "Letters on Landscape Painting" (1855) advised Christians to contemplate nature daily. He believed this would help them conform their lives to the beautiful order of God's works.
• Who was Asher Brown Durand?+

  Asher Brown Durand was an American^[2] painter associated with the Hudson River School, though he first established himself as an engraver.
• What was Asher Brown Durand's art style?+

  Durand dedicated himself to direct observation of nature, rendering botanical and geological details with precision. His style is associated with the Hudson River School, focusing on nature.