In 19th-century America, a band of iconoclastic painters found inspiration in the rugged wilderness north of New York City. The group became known as the Hudson River School, and the pioneering work they created inspired a special collection of rugged yet painterly novelty pieces.
By Eric Twardzik
The breathtaking beauty of the Hudson Valley, located some 100 miles north of Manhattan, has held generations of New Yorkers under its spell. And while it continues to appeal to urban exiles, perhaps no group has better understood—and captured—its raw splendor as well as the Hudson River School.
Riding the coattails of the Romantic movement that first kicked off in Europe, these artists fled their Manhattan studios to depict the yet untamed landscapes of the valley. The wildness and epic scope of the landscape came to represent the vast wilderness into which pioneers were setting off. The British-born artist Thomas Cole is widely credited as the school’s founder and was followed by others, including Asher Brown Durand and Hermann Fuechsel. Together, the school established the Hudson Valley’s reputation as a refuge for the arts—a legacy that lives on in the region’s first-rate galleries and museums, including the contemporary Garrison Art Center and Storm King, the magnificent open-air sculpture garden.
This season, Ralph Lauren, working in close partnership with the Hudson River Museum, has chosen to reinterpret landmark works from two Hudson River School masters as apparel. For this spring, Kindred Spirits by Asher Brown Durand appears as a quilted nylon barn coat, a hooded sweatshirt, and a tie, while his Landscape has been skillfully reproduced as a jacquard-woven fleece. Another iconic piece, Hudson River Scene by Hermann Fuechsel, has been transformed into a crewneck sweater and a camp collar shirt. In addition to the iconic Polo Ralph Lauren label, each will also be co-branded with the logo of the Hudson River Museum. That the wide-open spaces and untouched landscapes of the Hudson River School still inspire us today is a testament to the love of nature and thirst for exploration that continues to animate the American spirit. And by taking these works out of their frames and onto the street, Ralph Lauren is proud to bring that vision to a new audience.
Eric Twardzik is a writer with a deep reverence for things that get better with age, from tweed jackets to single malt Scotch. He has contributed to titles including GQ, Esquire, and Condé Nast Traveler and serves as deputy editor of Wm Brown magazine. He lives in New England with his family and owns too many ties.
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