Images capturing the beauty of the Hudson River are on display at Hudson Valley Hospital Center in Cortlandt Manor as the hospital presents “Hudson River Suites: Photographs by Joseph Squillante” through Sept. 5.
From sailing ships to shorelines, mountains to marshes, lighthouses to bridges, and beyond, “Hudson River Suites” includes more than 30 images of life along the Hudson River, including its landscapes, architecture and people. Among the images is “View From the World Trade Center,” a large night scene of Manhattan and the Hudson taken in 1985, showing a world that is now lost forever.
Squillante is known for his classic black-and-white photographs that distill the timeless essence of the Hudson River, which has been his central subject for more than 35 years. His romantic, quiet imagery depicts calm landscapes, intriguing elements of nature, striking architecture, and powerful portraits. In “Hudson River Suites”, Squillante expands his traditional black-and-white repertoire to include a series of color photographs that possess a painterly quality.
“Hudson River Suites” takes advantage of the free-standing partitions of the hospital’s gallery space with each wall showcasing different aspects of the river through sets or “suites” of images. For example, one suite focuses on the Highlands and features a magnificent panorama of Peekskill Bay. The Adirondacks series shows the source of the Hudson at Lake Tear of the Clouds as well as a view over the Adirondack range from Mount Marcy, the highest point in New York. A powerful night shot of the illuminated George Washington Bridge and one of the Old Saugerties Lighthouse before its renovation are included in a segment on architecture. Squillante’s iconic “Boy Fishing,” as well as a portrait of a wildlife biologist cradling a bald eagle, are also part of a suite representing people of the river.
Squillante’s color images make up a group of their own, among which is a panoramic southward view from Verplanck, brilliant autumn foliage over the cliffs of the Palisades, a 100-year-old ice boat plying the ice on Tivoli South Bay and a representation of Frank Gehry’s striking Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson.
The photographer – whose work is in the permanent collections of the New-York Historical Society, the Museum of the City of New York, the Albany Institute of History and Art, as well as Hudson Valley Hospital Center, among others – has spent the past three decades traveling the length of the Hudson capturing the beauty and romance of the river and surrounding landscapes as well as the people who live and work along its shores. A New York Times’ reviewer noted the “zest and sincerity” of the work. Indeed, the photographs inspire viewers of all ages.
“I reach out and share my work, I meet many people who also love the river,” Squillante says. “My aim is to nurture and expand this community. I believe that a greater appreciation of this natural resource will lead to a better understanding of its importance. The Hudson is a universal subject and a continual source of inspiration.”
Suzanne Ashley, curator of Hudson Valley Hospital Center’s 12 galleries of fine art work, says the hospital hopes the community will take advantage of this inspiring display and visit the gallery:
“The Art for Health program not only subscribes to the belief that art can help in the healing process, but that in the true tradition of a community hospital, Hudson Valley Hospital Center is a place whose doors are always open to the community. We invite the public to view Squillante’s works as well as all of the inspiring artwork in our 12 galleries throughout the hospital.”
Squillante’s love of the river began in 1975, when his boyhood friend Tom moved from the Bronx to paradise—otherwise known as Tivoli, a village 100 miles north of Manhattan, population 362. Tom’s backyard was the Hudson River, flowing just beyond the railroad tracks with views of the Catskill Mountains. In 2009, during the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s voyage up the river, Squillante mounted several exhibitions from Manhattan to Albany, most noteworthy a solo show, “Life Along the Hudson,” at the Albany Institute of History and Art. In 2004, his solo exhibit, “The Hudson River: A Visual Voyage,” opened the Beacon Institute, a research center spearheaded by former New York state governor George Pataki.
Squillante and his wife, Carol Capobianco, founded the Hudson River School of Photography to cultivate an appreciation for the Hudson through workshops, presentations, in-classroom talks, lessons, exhibits, and notecards and prints.
To view some of Squillante’s images, visit hudsonriverphotography.com or go to youtube.com/watch?v=nnNfT5LBXJg.l 737-2314,l HudsonR@bestweb.net.
The hospital is located on Route 202 (1980 Crompond Road) in Cortlandt Manor. 737-9000, hvhc.org
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