Fredric Edwin Church, 1826-1900, United States of America, Aurora Borealis-1865 - Essay Example

“Fredric Edwin Church, 1826-1900, United s of America, Aurora Borealis-1865” Introduction Fredric Edwin Churchwas an American artist famous for his landscape paintings in the mid-nineteenth century. Fredrick was an art student who made paintings once he travelled to various destinations. He made his travels far and wide, from the volcanoes of South America to the tropics and in all his travels, he made sketches, which on his return he would meticulously do the finishing producing superb painted art work (Avery).

In 1859, Fredrick accompanied his friend Hayes on a sea travel to the Arctic. It was during this voyage that he made sketches of what he saw. Later on, after returning from the expedition he embarked on the painting, carefully finishing one of the supreme paintings, the Aurora Borealis. The Aurora Borealis painting is a pictorial representation of the northern lights of America.Reason as to why aurora borealis painting-1865 is famous Currently, the famous painting is located in “Smithsonian American Art Museum, in Washington DC” (Avery).

In the mid-nineteenth century, and on return of Church with his friend Hayes, they found America in the middle of a Civil war. Hayes being part of the Union swore in a loud voice that he would carry the flag of America without any star erasing, to the extreme northern limits of the earth. He was referring to the northern lights, well depicted on canvas by Fredric Edwin Church (Avery). Because of Hayes’ vow, people viewed Church’s painting as the Union’s symbol of its cause, hence giving the painting its unique importance and fame.

Why Aurora Borealis painting-1865 is an “important” work of art Primarily, the piece, Aurora Borealis-1865, provides ordinary people with an opportunity to witness a rather rare natural phenomenon probably they would have never seen. Church made the painting on a canvas basing it on a landscape that he had viewed; hence, it is an ideal way of providing people with a site like never before. The Aurora Borealis, 1865, has always made a monumental impact on people who view it. First, it is a way of appreciating nature, as Church was keen to note how beautiful the wilderness landscape was, hence putting it on canvas.

Moreover as per now nature is a paramount concern of the world as people aim at salvaging the remaining part of it. Hence, the oil on canvas painting of Aurora Borealis, 1865, acts as an inspiration for people to achieve this goal (Avery). From an artist view of the piece, it posses stupendous features, which give the painting an impressive look to the viewer. Within the painting, he added details such as giving the water a reflective effect, subsequently forming a burnished surface. As a way of giving it more visual impression, Church gave dramatic color to the sunset clouds, in turn, adding substance to the painting (Avery).

Church was also keen on painting the distant details very clearly, subsequently giving it a transparent radiance. The transparent radiance filled the space within the canvas showing a brilliant use of the available space. The famous artist also ensured that he gave the painting depth and breadth by carefully adding and combining different elements of nature, such as the sea, clouds and mountains. Conclusion The painting represents a marvelous piece of art meticulously presented on the canvas with a stupendous blend of color and light.

The painting is not vague; rather it finely presents an exquisite landscape presentation. Work CitedAvery, Kevin. Frederic Edwin Church (1826–1900). 2011. Web. November 1, 2011.