Chimborazo and El Altar from Riobamba, Ecuador
July 13, 1857
Medium
landscapes
Classification
landscapes
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Louis P. Church
Accession Number
1917-4-258
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Frederic Edwin Church, a leading figure of the Hudson River School, the majestic Andean landscape in *Chimborazo and Altar from Riobamba, Ecuador* on July 13, 1857. This work depicts two towering Ecuadorian volcanoes—Chimazo, the highest peak in Ecuador, and El Altar—viewed from the highland city of Riobamba. Painted during Church's second expedition to South, it reflects his passion for documenting the sublime wonders of nature with meticulous detail and luminous atmospheric effects. Church's travels were inspired by the explorer Alexander von Humboldt, whose writings on equatorial landscape...