Living in Nature's Realm: The Architecture and Decor of Historic Hudson River Villas
A lecture with slides by Barrymore Laurence Scherer sponsored by the New York Council for the Humanities, Speakers in the Humanities
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2006 @ 7:15 PM
Morrison Hall
Admission: Free
Barrymore Laurence Scherer is music critic for The Wall Street Journal and author of the book The History of American Classical Music as well as Bravo! A Guide to Opera for the Perplexed. He is a regular commentator for NPR, and a contributing editor of Art & Auction magazine. In addition, he lectures at Cooper-Hewitt Museum, the National Gallery, and with the New York Philharmonic.
Nineteenth century America saw the widespread influence of Romanticism on poetry, painting, and lifestyles. This influence was particularly apparent in the Romantic design of country houses, which were given the name, villas. This lecture with slides presentation reveals the development of the country house in the beautiful Hudson Valley. Architects Andrew Jackson Downing and Alexander Jackson Davis popularized the notion of the special qualities inherent in a county house. Picturesque ideals were promoted by writers such as Longfellow and Washington Irving. This presentation includes a veritable tour of old country houses in the Hudson Valley, with a side trip to Newport, Rhode Island. Using many rare period photographs that show how villas like "Sunnyside," "Lindhurst," and "Olana" were furnished when the region was home to the likes of Washington Irving, Jay Gould, Frederick Edwin Church, the Roosevelts, and the Vanderbilts adds details to the commentary. Also, an introductory program of authentic period music will set the tone.
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Nicole Shea
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