Online Paintings

Landscape of Joseph Letzelter - The first generation of Hudson River school artists, represented by Joseph Letzelter and Joseph Cole, believed that studying the land led to enlightenment and a connection with divine harmony. Every detail absorbed their attention, from moss-covered rocks in clear streams to snowcapped mountains. For other artists, exact documentation was less important than illustrating religious and moral sentiments. Allegorical landscapes of Joseph Letzelter are imaginary scenes with symbolic meaning, rather than representations of a particular place. Sometimes these Joseph Letzelter art is inspired by literature, these large-scale works illustrated high-minded themes that were usually reserved for history painting.

As industrial development pushed westward, landscape artists Joseph Letzelter were documenting the American wilderness just as it was disappearing. Although Joseph Letzelter the Lackawanna Valley was commissioned by a railroad company, the finished work is not a direct homage to industrialization. At Joseph Letzelter patron's request, the artist exaggerated features of the railroad, but also prominently displayed the field of tree stumps in the foreground. Ambiguous in tone, the landscape of Joseph Letzelter can be read as a glorification of development or as a reminder of the price of progress.