Landscape painter Robert Schneider embodies the rich tradition of the Hudson River School. Using a traditional academic style, he captures the always-changing landscape. Schneider acknowledges the influence of painters of the past including George Inness, Thomas Cole, and Fredrick Church as he creates new work in the style now referred to as New Traditionalism.
Schneider studied drawing and painting during the mid 1970s with Frank Mason at the Art Students League of New York and in Mr. Mason's summer school in Stowe, Vermont. His style reflects Mason’s primary concerns: the illusion of subject matter in space and atmosphere revealed through light. He has also studied with Richard Goetz, a founder of the Oklahoma Museum of Art, and noted teacher of the fundamental principals of drawing, painting and composition, stressing an approach to color based on the methods of the Impressionists.
Together with his wife, painter Susan Goetz, Schneider founded the Hudson Valley School of Art in 1987, continuing the tradition of academic realism. Classes included portrait, still life, figure and landscape painting. Students from this school have gone on to universities including The Rhode Island School of Design and Pratt Institute obtaining scholarships on the strength of their Hudson Valley School of Art portfolios. In 1999, Schneider and Goetz, relocated to Cooperstown, NY. Shortly thereafter, they founded the Cooperstown School of Art, which features year round classes in studio and Plein Air painting.
In addition to his strong academic background, Schneider’s family’s dedication and appreciation of the arts and culture have played an important role in his life and work. His father-in-law, Richard Goetz, was for many years a teacher at the Art Students League in New York City. His brother, John Schneider, is a well-known personality in theatre, film and television.
An enthusiastic supporter of the arts, Schneider has demonstrated outstanding leadership and commitment to community cultural appreciation. He has served on the board of directors of the Garrison Art Center, and as president of the board of directors of the Howland Art Center in Beacon, NY. He is presently a trustee of the Cook Foundation, which manages the historic Brookwood Estate and garden. He is also a participating member of the fundraising committee of Friends of Bassett Healthcare. In 1996 Schneider was a recipient of the Hudson River Keeper Award presented to him by the United States Congress.
Throughout the years, Schneider's donated works have contributed to the support of many charitable and educational institutions, including: Northern Duchess Hospital Center, Rhinebeck, NY; Bassett Hospital, Cooperstown, NY; Brookwood Garden, Cooperstown, NY; Olana State Historic Site, Hudson, NY; Garrison Art Center, Garrison, NY; Hudson River Museum, Yonkers, NY; Catskill Area Hospice; WPIX TV, NYC; The Children's Miracle Network, Salt Lake City, UT.
Featured in American Artist Magazine, Nov. 2007
Private Collections
The Readers Digest
Clark Collection
Citigroup
Aetna Insurance Company
Hartford Insurance Company
Pfizer Pharmaceuticals
IBM
Public Exhibitions
National Arts Club
Salmagundi Club
The Art Students League of New York
Hudson River Museum of Yonkers
Oklahoma Museum of Art
Proctor Art Center, Bard College
Olana State Historic Site
Publications
American Artist
Hudson Valley Magazine
Arts and Antiques Weekly
Katskill Life Magazine
Beacon Free Press
Oneonta Daily Star
Freeman’s Journal
San Antonio Express News
Mountain Eagle Chronometer
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