Art Analysis: Niagara, By Frederick Edwin Church

Frederick Edwin Church’s “Niagara” uses framing, scaling, and omission to demonstrate that he considered nature far more important than civilization. Church painted the viewer closer to the falls and suspended them above the ledge to intensify the greatness of the falls. He painted the falls from the Canadian shore while other painters before him did not; 180 degrees behind the painting there lies a city. The horizontal form of the painting helps to demonstrate the grandness of the falls. He uses a notable depiction of light, streaks of white, and water to emphasize the rushing power of the water. He adds the rainbow in his painting to guide the audience to look directly at the falls. He wants the onlooker to only pay attention to the falls