H.Res. 480 — Introduced in House

IV 113th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 480 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 11, 2014 Mr. Engel submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform RESOLUTION Honoring the Hudson River School Painters for their contributions to the United States. Whereas the Hudson River School is considered the first school of American Art; Whereas the Hudson River School was a mid-19th century American art movement led by a group of landscape painters, whose aesthetic vision was influenced by romanticism; Whereas the major Hudson River School Painters included Thomas Cole, Frederic Edwin Church, Asher Brown Durand, Jasper Francis Cropsey, Sanford Robinson Gifford, Albert Bierstadt, John Frederick Kensett, George Inness, Worthington Whittredge, and Thomas Moran; Whereas the Hudson River School paintings capture the striking naturalistic landscape of the continent, depicting the Hudson River Valley and the surrounding New York areas, including the Catskill, Adirondack, and the White Mountains; Whereas Hudson River School paintings served as a vital role in cultivating American identity in the mid-nineteenth century; Whereas the Hudson River School Painters influenced the environmental conservation movement and the establishment of the National Park System under President Theodore Roosevelt; Whereas in 2009 the New York delegation celebrated the 400th anniversary of the Hudson River School which complements the importance of the Hudson River, and the Hudson Valley, to the development and growth of the United States throughout the history of our continent; Whereas the Hudson River School's portrayal of the Hudson River Valley is a cause of major tourism this region experiences today; Whereas the Hudson River School Painters depicted the Hudson River Valley during the opening of the Erie Canal which linked the Hudson River with the Great Lakes, and created a main trade route from New York which fostered the city's influence in the American economy; Whereas the Hudson River School Painters celebrated the ideals of American democracy, individuality, and progress; Whereas the Hudson River School Painters illustrated themes such as Nature, Conservation, Civility, Unity, Education, Family, Chivalry, and Development; Whereas the Hudson River School Painters expressed the sense that every generation of Americans must seek to preserve the naturalness of the continent; Whereas the Hudson River School Painters accentuated the cardinal values of the nineteenth century and such their ideals can assist contemporary America in the rebirth of American culture: Now, therefore, be it That the House of Representatives recognizes and honors the Hudson River School Painters for their contributions to the United States.