Valley and Lake (from Sketchbook) 1834 - 1838

John William Casilear made this pencil drawing titled 'Valley and Lake' at an unknown date. Casilear was part of the Hudson River School, a mid-19th century American art movement. The school’s artists created landscape paintings in a romantic style that reflected themes of discovery, exploration, and settlement. They portrayed the American landscape as a pastoral ideal, particularly the vast, untamed wilderness, and the divine light that permeated it. This drawing exemplifies the Hudson River School's aesthetic, displaying an appreciation of the sublime aspects of nature. Given the historical context, we might consider how the painting reflects the American ideology of "Manifest Destiny." The historian can research how the Hudson River School's artworks contributed to the cultural narrative of westward expansion. It is through this deeper contextual understanding that we can interpret the work's meaning.