Detroit Institute of Arts (American Landscapes)

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No visit to Detroit is complete without a trip to the Detroit Institute of Arts, a 658,000-square-foot museum with one of the top collections of artwork in the United States. Founded in 1885, the museum is home to a diverse collection of art from a broad span of eras and cultures. Some of the museum’s most famous pieces include Diego Rivera’s enormous “Detroit Industry” fresco and an 1887 self portrait of Vincent Van Gogh.

This eScapes video takes you on a relaxing tour of the museum’s gallery of American landscapes. Most of these works are from the mid-19th century and the centerpiece of this gallery, Frederic Edwin Church’s 1862 painting Cotopaxi, is thought to be a reflection on the onset of the Civil War.

The other works displayed here are more tranquil: Jasper Francis Cropsey’s Indian Summer, depicting a couple dwarfed by a colorful autumn landscape, and Thomas Cole’s From the Top of Kaaterskill Falls both inspire calm and a connection to nature.

Links

The Detroit Institute of Arts
Visit Detroit (non-profit visitor information)
Wikipedia article: Frederic Edwin Church
Pure Michigan: Official Travel and Tourism Information