View of Cotopaxi

For Frederic Edwin Church, landscape revealed the hidden spirituality of the universe, wherein all the organisms and forces of nature were seen as one living, active whole. Nowhere was this more evident than in the hothouse of the tropics. Following in the footsteps of scientific explorer-naturalist Alexander von Humboldt, Church made two trips to South America in 1853 and 1857. In this painting, the lush, tropical landscape and smoldering volcanoes of Ecuador reenact the drama of man's and earth's regeneration.

Geography: Made in United States

Culture: American

Period: 19th century

Credit: Gift of Miss Annette I. Young in memory of Professor D. Cady Eaton and Mr. Innis Young