Cotopaxi

High in the Ecuadorian distance, the volcano Cotopaxi rises with its snowy summit catching the light, while a wide green valley rolls out beneath it. Frederic Edwin Church painted this scene in 1862 after his travels through South America, journeys sparked by the naturalist Alexander von Humboldt, who urged artists to go and paint the tropics for themselves. As a member of the Hudson River School, Church loved landscapes that were huge in scale and packed with detail. Down near the foreground, a few small figures ride on horseback, and their tiny size makes the surrounding wilderness feel truly enormous.

Church clearly enjoyed filling this canvas with life. A waterfall spills over the rocky cliffs, feathery palm trees crowd the right side, and warm golden light stretches across the sky, giving the whole picture a feeling that is both believable and slightly like a dream. He traveled to Ecuador twice and sketched Cotopaxi many times, coming back to the mountain throughout his career. This version shows the volcano quiet and serene, a gentle tribute to a landscape that plainly stayed with him long after he left it.