American Light makes a fresh and comprehensive examination of the culminating phase of Hudson River painting, now commonly called luminism. Bringing together a group of pictures with a shared interest in the radiant effects of light and atmosphere, this publication examines the principles of luminist style as seen in paintings, drawings, and photography of the period, including works by Albert Bierstadt, Alfred Thomson Bricher, Frederic Edwin Church, Martin Johnson Heade, John Frederick Kensett, Seneca Ray Stoddard, Carleton E. Watkins, and others. This comparative and focused study analyzes artistic response to nature and the different means of recording light effects. With essays by nine scholars, the exhibition catalog summarizes the state of argumentation on the subject while furthering the dialogue on this crucial period of American art.