"James A. Suydam (1819-1865) was an American landscape painter and art collector who worked during a pivotal time in the country's history. His art and collection provide a fresh perspective on luminism, a landscape aesthetic celebrated for its expressive effects of light and air. This book offers a new look at how the luminist painters of Suydam's circle - including John F. Kensett, Sanford R. Gifford, and Frederic Edwin Church - advanced American art during the Civil War-era." "Luminist Horizons explores the art and culture of the period through Suydam's eyes. The book examines how he arrived at his signature coastal views at Newport, Rhode Island and the influences on his artistic choices."--BOOK JACKET.