Oh, Shenandoah - by Andrei Kushnir (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

The Shenandoah Valley is widely renowned for its beauty and its idyllic landscape of farms, fields, historic towns, and Civil War battlefields. Framed to the east and west by the majestic Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains, the region is defined by the river made famous in the 1882 song "Oh, Shenandoah."

The highly regarded painter Andrei Kushnir has spent years traveling throughout every corner of the Shenandoah Valley, capturing its myriad landscapes and architectural features with panache and an extraordinary appreciation for place. The paintings collected here highlight Kushnir's rare ability to paint any landscape before him--pastoral or industrial, recreational or social, rural or urban, riparian or agricultural--all the while working out in the elements, en plein air. By organizing Kushnir's paintings along highways US 11, US 340, and VA 42, enabling travelers to follow the paintings in geographical order, the book captures the Shenandoah Valley and its famous river in a uniquely comprehensive and intuitive way.

In addition to the 263 plein-air paintings, Oh, Shenandoah presents in-depth historical and curatorial essays by Warren R. Hofstra, William M. S. Rasmussen, and Jeffrey C. Everett about the Valley and Kushnir's significant contribution to our understanding of it, adding a rich, textual component to complement Kushnir's artistry.

Distributed for George F. Thompson Publishing

Review Quotes

Kushnir, with inspration of his own and from the historians and conservationists who wrote the essays, set out to capture the essence of the Shenandoah Valley.... He documented the natural splendor of the river and hills, as well as the towns and rural dwellings of the people who live there.... This journey along the Shenandoah Valley is enchanting and educating.

Kushnir's artistic skills are such that even his painting of the Shenandoah Valley Livestock Sales building in Harrisonburg is picturesque enough to be worthy of a prominent place on a wall. And the views of downtown Timberville and the Funk General Store in Singers Glen likely will inspire people to take a day trip to visit them.

This is a richly rewarding book that you'll want to return to again and again. The winter holidays are upon us, so if you're looking for a gift that will be treasured for years to come, look no further than Oh, Shenandoah.

About the Author

Andrei Kushnir has been a full-time painter since 1980, and his works have been exhibited widely in numerous juried and invitational shows throughout the United States. His work has been featured in numerous books, including Painted History and Potomac River School, as well as in articles in the Washington Times, the Nature Conservancy Magazine, and many other publications. Contributors include Warren Hofstra, Jeff Everett, and William Rasmussen.