Frederic Edwin Church (1826 – 1900) painted magnificently lit, panoramic landscapes expressing nature’s grandeur. An American artist from the Hudson River School, he was the first pupil of the renowned Thomas Cole. Scientifically approaching his art, Church sketched outdoors before painting the final canvas. Principally painting North America’s natural scenery, he also created dramatic images from his travels to South America and Europe. Church’s work emanated a clarity and a brilliant rendering of light called Luminism. Olana, his house on the Hudson River, is now a museum.