KIA Assignment Reaction Document The first painting I found at KIA was Autumn Sunset at Greenwood by Jasper Cropsey. It initially caught my attention because of the large lake and its contrast with the adjacent land. The river connects the foreground to the background, there are grazing animals (cattle), and the mountains and dark clouds above them in the background represent the idea of ​​the sublime. I believe that since this painting is based on a location in Greenwood Lake, New York, it may represent the idea of ​​an escape into an urbanized environment. It was painted in 1876, so America was 100 years old at that time. New York was urbanizing during the onset of the Industrial Revolution following the Civil War. This painting directly criticizes that idea and reminds people that they do not have to conform to the urbanizing environment and that there are still ways to escape into the spiritual world of nature. I think the use of all the autumn colors (bright oranges, darker reds, and yellows), as well as the sunset in the sky, gives the audience a feeling of calm. One of my personal aesthetics that I look for in nature is the idea that it is a piece of history minimally touched by man and that the slow changes that occur over time are in stark contrast to the rapidly changing technologies and culture of the modern world . This painting perfectly reflects my feeling; as the human environment was changing rapidly, this virtually pristine piece of land still connected humanity to Earth's natural past. An interesting note about Jasper Cropsey's work is that this idea comes up in most of his other pieces. After briefly examining his other paintings, I concluded that almost all of them were based on natural settings in different parts of New England (some in New Hampshire, New Jersey, and New York), all of which generally reflect the idea of ​​escaping the urbanization in those areas. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The next painting that caught my eye was Heart of the Andes by Robert Duncanson, painted in 1871 (note: originally painted by Fredric Church in 1857). The compositional elements of the Hudson River include an enormous depiction of the sublime in the form of a dark mountain range filling the background, idle figures in the foreground, a river all the way to the background, and vegetation framed by trees on both sides of the river. This painting gives me a more spiritual sense than Cropsey's Autumn Sunset at Greenwood. The idle figures in the foreground appear to be walking a path leading through the mountains in the background. The idea of ​​God's power in the face of the sublime comes into play, in the sense that these traveling figures are preparing to face this dangerous path directly. My guess about the overall message of the painting is that the landscape is not always friendly and pretty and that conquering it is not an easy task. This may have been in response to the American westward expansionist ideal of the time. Even though I am personally not religious, I find the idea of ​​conquering risky landscapes through spirituality particularly interesting and I respect the idea of ​​God creating these epic, sublime representations. An interesting fact about Robert Duncanson is that while he was creating pieces inspired by the Hudson River School, he was also commissioned by abolitionist patrons to depict anti-slavery scenes. The last Hudson River School painting I found was Mount Brewer from King's River Canyon, by Albert Bierstadt in 1872. It is based on a landscape found in California. Elements include light framing greenery (some trees on both sides) and a large icon of the sublime.