Hook Mountain, Near Nyack, on the Hudson

Sanford Robinson Gifford sketched the curving shore of the Hudson River near Nyack, New York, as the basis for this painting. The horizontal format encompasses the river's majestic expanse, as well as the contour of Hook Mountain, which is reflected in the still waters of Haverstraw Bay. Unlike many of Gifford's earlier works, Hook Mountain forgoes the wilderness in favor of an area familiar to urban tourists. Although commercial ships and leisure craft made the Hudson one of America's busiest waterways, here the river appears tranquil, a respite from the bustling port of New York City only forty miles away.