View on the Hudson

Francis Augustus Silva, who lived in Brooklyn and maintained a studio in Manhattan, made frequent trips up the Hudson River in the 1870s to gather inspiration and subject matter. Mark Mitchell writes, "By far the most famous of Silva's themes from this early period was not formal, but geographic: the Hudson River...his Hudson River scenes are among his most charming and effective early works...Perhaps the phenomenon is best explained as a serendipitous consequence of time and geography, of Silva's concurrent artistic maturation and awareness of his Hudson River School predecessors on their turf." (Francis A. Silva: In His Own Light, exhibition catalogue, New York, 2002, pp. 33-34) The keen attention to detail, subtle gradation of light, and tranquility of View on the Hudson make it a wonderful example of these works.