London, GB | Formerly of New York, Buenos Aires, Fife, and the Western Cape. | Saoránach d’Éirinn.

Cropsey in the City

Jasper Francis Cropsey, A View in Central Park — The Spire of Dr. Hall’s Church in the Distance
Oil on canvas, 17⅛ in. x 12⅛ in.
1880, Private collection

THE HUDSON RIVER SCHOOL artist Jasper Francis Cropsey has obtained of late an almost cult-like following, the kool-aid being distributed from the well-oiled machinery of the Newington-Cropsey Foundation in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. Whether the object of worship is worthy of the faithful’s adulation is a matter of some speculation, but it’s admittedly refreshing to see a fan base surrounding a painter of the old school rather than one of the numerous gimmicky hacks floating around the New York art scene these days. Cropsey (like most Hudson River painters) is known for his luscious landscapes, so I thought it markedly unusual when I stumbled upon this painting, a cityscape. The artist’s vantage point is from The Pond in Central Park, looking over Fifty-ninth Street (Central Park South) towards where the old Plaza Hotel now stands.

The “Dr. Hall” in question is the Rev. Dr. John Hall of Armagh, Ireland, who came over to New York in 1867 to lead the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church (as “Dr. Hall’s Church” is formally known). Dr. Hall’s Church is the main spire, with the smaller spire of St. Thomas (Episcopal) to the right. Both churches still stand on their respective sites, but both congregations have built new, larger churches since Cropsey painted this scene.

Is this work by Cropsey the romantic a love painting? The necks of the geese in the pond suggest a heart shape, with the nearby reflection of the church spire perhaps alluding to the sacrament of marriage.

Published at 7:57 pm on Monday 8 June 2009. Categories: Art New York Tags: , .
Comments

You are right to have your doubts, Mr Cusack.
The close-up you provide tells its own tale: a painter of talent, but of limited technical ability and no genius.

Silva is better.

— L Gaylord Clark 9 Jun 2009 2:40 pm

Does it suggest marriage? Perhaps. But, given to whom the spire belongs, it is doubtful that it suggests the sacrament of marriage. More likely the romantic chum of notions of “love” and “marriage” that pass as the “ordinances” of most of our separated brethren.

— Mr. WAC 9 Jun 2009 3:45 pm
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