have you ever seen a beautiful painting and just wished you could step past its frame to explore
its beauty in real life hi everyone Ken here welcome to this house today we are exploring
the home of America's most famous Victorian era landscape painter who traded his brushes for
shovels to carve out an idyllic landscape around his dream home make sure to hit that subscribe
button so you never miss an exciting episode of this house if you have ever taken a course
in art history you might be familiar with the name Frederick Edwin church but for those of us who did
not let's hear a story to better understand how his painting career led to his Opus the Mansion
known as Alana in Greenport New York in 1826 Frederick Edwin church was born to a wealthy
family in Hartford Connecticut by the time he was 18 he was afforded the privilege of choosing any
path in life to follow with his father willing to bankroll him he had always appreciated art
and found himself sketching from an early age so it was no surprise that when he became of age he
decided to leave home to study under Thomas Cole renowned landscape painter and founder
of the Hudson School Thomas took Frederick under his wing teaching him about allegorical paintings
making the connection between spiritual poetry in the natural environment Thomas mostly painted
pastures romanticizing his spirituality with Biblical imagery worked into his landscapes
for the first two years Frederick followed his teachings traveling all around New England
painting idyllic Landscapes during this time Frederick was deeply moved by the captivating view
sheds found near the city of Hudson New York in Obsession he would revisit later in life by 1846
Frederick sold his first painting a pastoral scene depicting hooker's journey in 1636 while he had
been trained to put his personality into paintings and to draw connections between Christianity
and creation there was a new school of thought emerging Charles Darwin had just published his
Origin of Species which had a great impact on the rest of Frederick's career he began taking himself
out of his paintings removing any semblance of his own personality in forsaking allegories altogether
he began traveling around the world to capture scenes from nature including jungles icebergs and
active volcanoes during this time he refined and perfected his style by hiding his brush Strokes
to make his paintings appear flat he put so much detail into his paintings that every plant animal
and rock type was instantly recognizable and could be classified correctly by any expert in
related fields in 1859 after spending time in South America Frederick returned to the United
States to unveil a massive painting he had been working on the heart of the Andes he set the frame
on the floor to make it appear as a window and illuminated it only with natural lighting from the
skylights above and charged people admission to view it from a distance the critics went wild with
so much Buzz being generated about his Masterpiece the painting set a new record as the most
expensive painting to ever be sold by an American Artist at ten thousand dollars or the modern
day equivalent of nearly 360 thousand dollars immediately Frederick had secured his name as the
most famous artist in the United States Frederick convinced his father to purchase a 126-acre tract
of land along the Hudson River in Greenport New York a landscape he had become obsessed with in
his earlier career he then married the love of his life Isabel Carnes in the two built their first
home on the property which they named cozy cottage here Frederick painted several more masterpieces
within two years the young couple had two children their lives were Picture Perfect until disease ran
through their family and both of their children died grief stricken they left the property to
travel the world and when they returned their cozy cottage did not feel like home to them they hired
architect Richard Morris hunt to design for them a new house but quickly scrapped his plans Frederick
wanted a house with more character something only he could Envision and design so he hired architect
Calvert vo to work as a consultant while he drafted up plans for his dream house following no
particular style the house would blend italianate architecture with Persian Asian and Islamic
designs creating a truly unique International style Frederick created an asymmetrical bulking
of forms mixing heavy materials with dainty architectural elements a further designed
patterns not only for the brickwork but also to be stenciled along the exterior to create
a cohesive flow about the facade it was around the time that Frederick began experiencing the
onset of rheumatoid arthritis in his hands so he put down his paint brushes and still being
otherwise able-bodied picked up farm equipment to dredge out a 10-acre lake plant Orchards
and manipulate the landscape to no end winding Carriage Trails were planned to be an immersive
experience not of nature but of art having become the world's foremost landscape painter he applied
his knowledge in composition to three dimensions the result was like stepping into a painting upon
entering the property the landscape had been manipulated so that it became idyllic something
Beyond happenstance evidence of a Creator he Revisited his roots in spirituality through
poetry and named the property Olana meaning Treasure House which came from a description
of strabos artaxada a theorized location for the biblical Garden of Eden the name becoming a poetic
reference to the achievement of perfection through the Act of Creation Frederick's creation walking
inside you would enter into the court Hall where a series of hand-stenciled pointed arches delineated
space in place of solid walls creating an open Concept in a time when this was unheard of the
couple had collected Furniture decorations and souvenirs while on their worldwide travels and
decorated the house with no particular style in mind blending their favorite International
elements together with Moroccan tables African wood carvings and English lamps geometric textiles
from every inhabited continent could be found on the floors walls and surfaces with books in
nearly every Lang language scattered about below Frederick's paintings at the end of the Court Hall
the grand staircase Rose behind curtains creating a backdrop for their collections at its Landing
an arcade separated the rise of the stairs from the platform with hand stenciled pointed arches
framing a Gothic window The Parlor continued with International Decor paired with Gothic windows and
hand stenciled borders framing each wall section the sitting room boldly blunted antique European
chairs and sofas with African folk art while the architectural elements Blended American
craftsmanship with Moroccan design venturing further into the house the dining room continued
with these elaborate into bold displays of international Style with Windows placed above eye
level to maintain Intimacy in an otherwise grand hall in this photo we can easily imagine Frederick
sitting behind the easel in his Studio arranging a set for his next painting for all of the Whimsical
features there was also serious thought given to the practicality of the home with a wood burning
furnace for heating and plumbing for a full bathroom something which was virtually unheard of
in any house of the 1870s while it is easy to get lost in the details we will take a moment to see
a few elements up close such as this mosaic tile Hearth with a hand carved wood mantle in fact each
fireplace contained its own themes with decorative ceramic work framed by an elaborate relief work we
can revisit the stair Hall to note the intricacies of the floral relief work framed by the railings
and contained by the newel post Frederick the mostly unable to paint with his right hand began
painting with his left and welcomed students to study under him at his home he and Isabel enjoyed
their home until Isabelle fell ill and passed away in 1899. Frederick was utterly heartbroken to
have lost his best friend and lover as they were approaching their golden years together it is said
that he died of a broken heart not even a year later at the age of 73. through the efforts of
art historians and Architectural preservationist alight Alana has been maintained for the enjoyment
of future generations with efforts extending beyond the house to the grounds and surrounding
view shed to preserve the naturalistic beauty which first inspired one of America's greatest
landscape painters today it is open to the public as the Olana State Historic Site
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