South American Landscape
Frederic Edwin Church (1826-1900)
1873
oil on canvas
Gift of the Friends of Art, 1964

Read the stories inspired by this painting

Frederic Church’s 1850s South American explorations and subsequent paintings were inspired by the writings of the German scientist and explorer, Baron Alexander von Humbolt. Von Humbolt conceived of nature as a living whole based upon the accurate description (verbally and visually) of natural phenomena. The interest in scientific accuracy was echoed by the English artist and theorist John Ruskin in his five-volume book Modern Painters, published in England between 1843 and 1860 and not long after in America.

While in South America, Church made many study sketches that later served as inspiration for a variety of paintings. This panoramic landscape reveals Church’s commitment to geologic and naturalist accuracy.