[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 173 (Monday, November 14, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2039]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 COMMENDING THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF ALBERT BIERSTADT AND SANFORD ROBINSON 
                                GIFFORD

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 14, 2011

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of 
Representatives to commend the achievements of two 19th century Hudson 
River School painters, Albert Bierstadt and Sanford Robinson Gifford. 
Two of Albert Bierstadt's paintings are currently displayed in the 
Capitol Visitor Center, ``Discovery of the Hudson River'' and 
``Entrance into Monterey.'' The paintings were part of the first 
American school of painting, the Hudson River School, which focused on 
accurately capturing nature and a close attention to detail as a new 
style of romantic landscapes became popular.
  A fellow Hudson River School painter, Sanford Robinson Gifford, used 
the District of Columbia as a backdrop in many paintings about the 
Civil War, including ``Sunday Morning at Camp Cameron,'' which depicts 
soldiers listening to a Sunday sermon on the grassy hills of an area in 
the Northwest part of the city now known as Meridian Hill Park. 
Gifford, who traveled to Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa 
seeking new sources of inspiration, was known particularly for his use 
of indistinct light, which sometimes masked the landscape and was 
achieved through tiny, delicate brushstrokes, a characteristic of the 
Hudson River School.
  As we recognize the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, 
I ask the House of Representatives to commend the achievements of 
Albert Bierstadt and Sanford Robinson Gifford, and the impact and 
legacy of the Hudson River School.

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