September 13 2025-January 4, 2026:  In Nature’s Studio: Two centuries of American Landscape Painting

An early celebration of the upcoming semiquincentennial, the exhibition provides a rich introduction to American landscape painting, featuring key artists and movements, while providing a deeper understanding of the involvement of artists in the crafting of American identity. Nearly 90 paintings reveal how artists interpreted the land in ways that reflect both their times and their visions, beginning with the emergence of the first uniquely American artistic movement, the Hudson River School, the exhibition also contains examples of Impressionism and Tonalism, approaches to painting that emerged later in the nineteenth and into the twentieth century, as well as modern trends in interpreting the landscape as the twentieth century progressed.

Highlights of the exhibition include Frederic Church’s breathtaking Cotopaxi (1862) along with two other Church works, on the eve of the celebration of his 200^th birthday; George Bellows’ The Launching (1913); Childe Hassam’s Beach at East Hampton (1905), and a rare opportunity to see Thomas Cole’s tiny and dazzling study for The Voyage of Life: Childhood (from Washington County Museum of Fine Arts’ collection).

Turn-of-the-century shifts in style are seen in Childe Hassam’s work and Ralph Albert Blakelock’s dreamlike visions. George Bellows’ vibrant The Launching captures the drama of human labor at sea, while Andrew Wyeth’s work offers an intimate and sobering view of the Maine coast. Modernist painters such as Arthur Bowen Davies, Benton Spruance, and John Fulton Folinsbee carry the story into abstraction and expressionism—reminding us that the inspiration of the landscape has never faded, only transformed.

In Nature’s Studio offers visitors a journey across time, place, and style—inviting them to enjoy the beauty of the American landscape and the way artists have shaped our understanding of place. Admission is free, and all are welcome.

In Nature’s Studio: Two Centuries of American Landscape Painting has been organized by the Reading Public Museum, Reading, PA.

Support for the Hagerstown presentation has been provided by Raymond James.