Niagara Falls, from the American Side

Dear American users—Happy 4th of July! On this occasion, we have one of the most incredible landmarks of the US, Niagara Falls, painted by Frederic Edwin Church, who was a central figure in the Hudson River School of American landscape painters, best known for painting large landscapes that often depicted mountains, waterfalls, and sunsets. Enjoy!  :)

Church's expansive canvas vividly captures the dramatic essence of Niagara Falls. The painting, derived from a drawing Church created on-site in July 1856 and a sepia photograph enhanced with color, was commissioned by New York art dealer Michael Knoedler in 1866. It is speculated that the work was initially intended for display at the Universal Exhibition in Paris, where Church was chosen to represent America. In 1887, John S. Kennedy purchased the painting and donated it to his homeland, Scotland. This piece stands as the sole major example of Church's work in a European public collection.

P.S. Frederic Edwin Church was a master in creating spectacular, one could say cinematic, scenes on canvas. Here's another one: Aurora Borealis, Church's northern landscape masterpiece. Can you feel the cold coming out of this painting?