Noted architectural photographer (and Greendale resident) Peter Aaron has a must-see suite of photographs of the Olana landscape on view at their Coachman’s House gallery through late October.
Aaron spent some three years on the project, “wandering Olana’s hills and surrounding landscapes” to capture the site during different seasons, weather and lighting conditions. He writes that before becoming a Hudson Valley homeowner, he
... considered Frederic Church an almost expressionist painter who exaggerated all he saw. Now, having lived down the hill from Olana for twenty-five years, I recognize that Church’s swirling, flame-colored clouds, twisted trees, river reflections, God-rays, fog, and deeply saturated colors are in evidence for every visitor to see.
Walking the landscape at dawn or dusk is an experience that’s always full of surprise and beauty. There are moments when a light snowfall blankets the carriage trail but not the woods, creating serpentine shapes through the trees. In the fall, a tube of fog forms over the Hudson River at dawn, disappearing before full sunlight comes.
“I think it’s the first time I’ve seen a modern perspective on Olana,” said Joan Davidson at the opening which coincided with the region’s Heritage Weekend, a concept with which she is credited.
