Cave House to Host Art Historians

HOWES CAVE — Robert and Johanna Titus, retired professors of Geology and Biology, will present “The Hudson River Schools of Art and Their Ice Age Origins” on Sunday, July 14 at 2 P.M. at the Cave House Museum of Mining and Geology (Museum) in Howes Cave. The authors will discuss the Ice Age history of the Hudson Valley and how that geological landscape inspired the arts that transpired in this region.

During the 19th century there was a cultural Renaissance right here in the Hudson Valley region. America’s first worldclass literature appeared. There was also the birth of American landscape architecture. Most importantly, led by Thomas Cole, came the appearance of the Hudson Valley School of Art. In short, the region became the center of a truly important cultural movement. None of this, the Titus’ argue, would ever have happened if the Hudson Valley, especially the North Lake area, had not been so heavily glaciated. The authors take their readers to visualize how the North Lake glaciers created the landscapes that so inspired the great artists of those times.

Then the reader is asked to peer down into the Hudson Valley. First it is filled with ice but later it is filled with the glacial meltwaters of something called Lake Albany. Those waters drained away and platforms composed of lake sediment emerged. When the Livingston family came along, they built their mansions upon those platforms. Their architects designed the grounds so that scenic views were opened up. These are called “planned views”, and they became central to landscape architecture as it developed all across America. 

Knowing the Ice Age history that inspired development of all the arts of the Hudson Valley will help you appreciate them so much more. That is the goal of the Titus’ presentation.

Robert and Johanna Titus are, respectively, retired professors of Geology and Biology. They are best known in the Catskills as popular science writers. Over the years they have written for several regional magazines, including Kaatskill Life and Tri-County Historical Reviews. They currently write for local newspapers as well: the Mountain Eagle and the Columbia Paper. They are the authors of five books on Catskills and Hudson Valley geology. The Titus’s are frequently invited to present PowerPoint lectures on their research and have been seen on television and heard on radio. They have a Facebook page (“The Catskill Geologist”), a blog site (“thecatskillgeologist.com”) and can be contacted at randjtitus@prodigy.net.

The Museum will be open from Noon until 4 P.M. The Titus’ presentation will be at 2 P.M.  The Museum will have copies of the Titus’ new as well as several of their other books available for purchase and autographing. The new title is also available for purchase through the Purple Mountain Press (www.nysbooks.com).