远观尼亚加拉大瀑布

The grandeur of Niagara Falls inspired 19th-century artists to celebrate the sublime power of the American landscape. Thomas Cole, the patriarch of the Hudson River School of landscape painting, was already well known for his depictions of untamed wilderness when he painted Distant View of Niagara Falls in 1830. The potency of Cole’s image lies in the depiction of unspoiled American nature. The painting bears little resemblance to the landscape surrounding the falls at the time, which was marked by factories, scenic overlooks, and hotels that accommodated the multitude of tourists that visited every year. Instead of realistically representing this scene, Cole presented a romanticized view of Niagara Falls that mourns the vanishing American wilderness.