Landscape and the American republic, Frederic Church’s Natural Bridge

Church, Natural Bridge

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Question 1

What is the Natural Bridge?

A	A stretch of limestone, suspended high above a gorge, that miraculously remained after a planned dynamite explosion to connect two streams below
B	A stretch of limestone, suspended high above a creek, that remained after centuries of deposits and erosion
C	An manmade overpass of local limestone, created to provide tourists with unique views of the mountainous landscape
D	A limestone overpass that has never been paved for use by cars but instead nurtures local flora

Question 2

Why do scholars believe Frederic Edwin Church represented the Natural Bridge in a vertical composition?

A	To emphasize for viewers new scientific discoveries about the formation of this majestic natural wonder
B	To create a more dynamic composition, where the small figures would be overwhelmed by the nature around them
C	To mirror the monumental height and shape of triumphal arches from ancient Rome
D	To ensure that the painting would fit on a specific wall in a patron’s home

Question 3

Which of these is not among the ways Frederic Edwin Church symbolically demonstrated his faith in the strength of the American republic?

A	Concentrating on the opening under the bridge as the only passage to the landscape beyond conveys the belief that Americans must keep a singular focus on republicanism for the nation to thrive
B	Highlighting the way the American landscape naturally mirrors the form of a Roman triumphal arch, reinforcing the lineage of the republic back to ancient Rome
C	Meticulously detailing the hearty, thriving landscape of weathered rock, blooming flora, and flowing water as a symbol of the enduring republic
D	Depicting a two people–a Black person and a white person–interacting positively suggests a shared belief in the potential of the nation operating a republic

Question 4

What was the charge issued by Ralph Waldo Emerson to Americans in his 1836 essay, Nature?

A	To eschew modern technology and embrace the handmade, especially in the arts and sciences
B	To reject the growth of cities and embrace a rural lifestyle, to live closer to nature
C	To build stronger relationships with Indigenous populations and desist from any further relocation or displacement policies
D	To use the American landscape as a metaphor for addressing the identity and state of the nation

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Key Points

Natural Bridge, a natural limestone formation located in western Virginia, has long been the subject of artistic renderings. A substantial number of such images were produced in the first half of the 19th century, when the site was actively celebrated as a symbol of the natural beauty of the American landscape.
Unlike the horizontal compositions of most other artists, Frederic Edwin Church depicted the Natural Bridge with an emphasis on its verticality, making a visual reference to the form of ancient Roman triumphal arches. This visual parallel served as a metaphor for the linkage between the republicanism of the newly established United States and its model in ancient Rome.
The need to reinforce the tie to ancient Roman republicanism was heightened in the mid-19th century. Slavery was expanding across southern and western territories in the U.S., and many people saw this trend as a threat to the young republic. Frederic Edwin Church, however, had faith that the republic would endure. Like other 19th-century landscape painters, he employed his images of the natural terrain and its wonders as visual definitions or metaphors of the state of the nation.

Go Deeper

Read more about the 2021 exhibition, Virginia Acadia: The Natural Bridge in American Art, held at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Learn more about this painting in the context of the 2020–21 exhibition, Alexander von Humboldt and the United States; Art, Nature, and Culture, held at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

More to Think About

Church’s painting is meticulous in the rendering of natural details, from rocks to plants to the bubbling stream. Do you think this level of realism is essential to communicating his message of support for American republicanism? Why or why not?

Knowing that Church’s intention with this painting was to convey his belief in the future of the American republic, how might you imagine the conversation between the two figures in the scene?

What other natural formations do you think are symbolic of the United States in some way? Have you visited any of these sites in person? Compare them with the symbolism of Natural Bridge.