Includes bibliographical references (page 249) and index

A world in view / Julia B. Rosenbaum -- Capturing the cosmos / Eleanor Jones Harvey -- A new Jerusalem / Karen Zukowski -- The preservation of Olana / David Schuyler -- Recapturing the landscape : correspondences between Olana and Central Park / Elizabeth Barlow Rogers -- Restoring a landscape masterwork : breathing new life into Frederic Church's living work of art / Thomas L. Woltz -- An appreciation from a contemporary painter / Stephen Hannock -- Photographs taken in the footsteps of Frederic Church : an adventure and an education / Larry Lederman

An in-depth look inside Olana, one of America's greatest estates, which was designed and built by Frederic Church, the most renowned of the Hudson River School painters. Frederic Church, the leader of the much-loved group of artists known as the Hudson River School, made his name as a painter of monumental landscapes in the mid-1800s, helping to develop our vision of landscape and shaping the cultural identity of America. He applied his artistic talent to the house and property that he named Olana, known today as Olana State Historic Site and located in the heart of the beautiful Hudson River Valley. The 250-acre naturalistic landscape surrounding the house is a work of art in itself, and the magnificent views beyond Olana were an essential part of Church's composition, which he carefully designed with an artist's eye to the property's 360-degree views of neighboring hills, valleys, the Hudson River, and distant mountains. Church was an observer of the cosmos, and Olana, set in the center of the Hudson River Valley, was his laboratory of observation of all of nature. Spectacular photography by Larry Lederman of Olana, its landscape and house, inside and out, illustrates one of Church's greatest works of art. The images, many taken especially for this book, have been shot in all seasons and all weather, and include panoramic and aerial views, sunsets, detail shots of both the house and landscape, as well as interior views of the house. Essays will delve into Church and his inspirations and motivations, illuminating not only the estate he built but also his work as an artist