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Hudson River School of Painting
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Romanticism in the Hudson River School of Painting This group was formed by American landscape painters who were present from 1825 to 1880. Their work constituted of interest in realistic illustration of nature and a fascination to celebrate precisely the American scenery. Until its emergence, most artists seemed more interested in making portraits than painting murals. Those who did landscapes generally always turned to Europe for guidance on subject matter and skills. Subjects similar to the other side of the Atlantic appear on their canvases mostly compared to American scenes, such as Norman castles, Greek and Roman ruins. In addition, much of the paintings done prior to the emanation of the Hudson River Schoolwereemblematic and therefore not necessarily intended to emblematize a real place. The school combines elements of romanticism and the art of Nationalism. Its Romantic nature provides an alternative framework through which to view and appreciate the nature in the world. There exists the Dome of Yosemite by Albert Bierstadt, with dramatic rock outcroppings, the sun burst...
Jacob was an African-American artist, who eventually flourished in the art world during the Depression of 1920s, painting African-Americans life in Harlem, making social statements and thus, explaining their life during that time. Additionally, this made his art significant to spectators who praised his works. With no formal training in painting, it was easy for Jacob to ignore the rules that set him apart from other African-American painters and others, before him and in his time, such as Palmer C. Hayden, and Archibald Motely, Jr to whom he was compared. Jacob Lawrence artwork communicated historical data and his perspective of people he was familiar with in his culture. His work expressed how African- Americans struggled for health and social justice, how they were ignored by the Republican administrations, racial equality and eventually, why African-American voters would shift to the Democratic Party.
Gardner, Helen, and Fred S. Kleiner. Gardner's Art Through the Ages: The Western Perspective. N.p., 2014. Print.
The naissance of the Hudson River School style launched a new era of artwork. Thomas Cole started this school and it was because of him American landscape painting came of age with the success. This was the first school of painting in the United States. Located in Northern New York by the Hudson River, the paintings focused on the nature and wilderness of the surrounding area. The Hudson River Painters believed that nature was a direct manifestation of God. As such, nature was to be depicted as accurately and as detailed as possible. If a man was included in a painting at all, he was painted small in stature to emphasize his relationship to nature (God). Because nature was considered perfect, the Hudson River Painters attempted to draw and paint landscapes directly, not from memory or imagination, and without embellishments or contrivances. The American landscape, wild and unspoiled, became a great source of national pride. The museums and galleries now focused on American art rather than European art for the first time. Importantly, the school helped make Manifest Destiny a popular idea, and thus contributed to western expansion.
The beauty of nature as depicted in landscape art and poetry were responsible for leading people out West and expanding what we now call America. The artwork and poetry told a story of what life looked like back then and the hardships many people encountered thereafter. Art became a median to express how people worshiped God and chose to follow the path they were always destined for. It became a way to document and record history in the New World for others to view, appreciate, and
These artists created an art movement in Harlem and after- school art programs, they taught classes to both kids and adults. This allowed
Eric Fishl’s Scarsdale is a painting that is done on three canvases. When placed together, they appear to make one whole picture. The focal point of the painting is the woman, dressed in a white gown and veil. It appears that she is wearing a wedding dress, since the dress is white and includes a veil. To the left is a cat and to the right is a dog. The woman represents the focal point, not only because she is the largest figure in the painting, but also because everything else is slightly in darkness. Fischl’s cat and dog can only be made out if one looks at the painting carefully. Fischl also paints the woman so that she almost appears to be floating in air. One can see that she is sitting on a chair, but the dog is directly under her, and he does not really use perspective to make it clear that the woman is not floating in midair.
Landscape painting was extremely important during the middle of the nineteenth century. One of the leading practitioners of landscape painters in America was Thomas Cole. He visited many places seeking the “natural” world to which he might utilize his direct observations to convey the untainted nature by man to his audience. His works resolved to find goodness in American land and to help Americans take pride in their unique geological features created by God. Thomas Cole inspired many with his brilliant works by offering satisfaction to those seeking the “truth” (realism) through the works of others.
Crooked Beak of Heaven Mask is a big bird-figure mask from late nineteenth century made by Kwakwaka’wakw tribe. Black is a broad color over the entire mask. Red and white are used partially around its eyes, mouth, nose, and beak. Its beak and mouth are made to be opened, and this leads us to the important fact in both formal analysis and historical or cultural understanding: Transformation theme. Keeping that in mind, I would like to state formal analysis that I concluded from the artwork itself without connecting to cultural background. Then I would go further analysis relating artistic features to social, historical, and cultural background and figure out what this art meant to those people.
Just as the European romantics cared about emotions, nature, imagination, meditation, humanity and freedom, the American first "group of great imaginative writers -Irving, Bryant and Poe" (readers Note p 57) -cared about the them too . In their writings, these writers were taken by the romantic ideals empathizing on nature, creating their own world, borrowing sets from the past or from legends, meditating their life, and finding their own explanations to its processes . With such attitudes, these writers made their way into literature as romantics . " The Devil And Tom Walker","Hop Frog", " To a Waterfowl" and "Thanatopsis" serve as good examples for American Romanticism .
Art is defined as the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. Jackson Pollock does an amazing job creating art. Pollock’s works are not as big as some of the other artists like Monet’s paintings but his works are still large enough to engulf the viewer.
History is the story and knowledge of the past. There are individuals that are interested by history and wish to study it by learning more. It is very informative to know what has happened in the past for self-knowledge. An individual cannot be naïve to the past including but not limited to how literature came to. One can understand literature more when they understand the time period the author wrote during and the way they wrote. There are several time periods different authors have been through with each period having specific beliefs. Romanticism is the time period that interests me the most; it was a time during the eighteenth century and focused on nature along with the individual’s expression of imagination and emotion.
Romanticism is an influential literary movement in America that changed literature permanently from the drastically modest and structured ideals of Puritanism. Two contrasting types of authors, Romantics and Dark Romantics, introduce new, meaningful literature to America; while Romantics see the light and airy side of the world, Dark Romantics see the darker more horrific side. This drastically modified literary period is influenced by Europe and was revolutionary for America from the moment it arrived. American Romanticism rejects the normal, rational thought and praises the unpredictability and complexity of emotion. Romanticism has changed American literature forever.
After breaking its political ties with Great Britain toward the end of the eighteenth century, America took on the next challenge of breaking its cultural ties with its former mother country. By the 1830s and 1840s, influenced by the new ideas of transcendentalism and the Hudson River School, writers like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgar Allan Poe and artists like Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Cole began writing and painting in a new style distinct from the style of European writers and artists. By writing about uniquely American experiences, painting uniquely American scenes, and incorporating the emerging ideas of transcendentalism and the Hudson River School, the writers and artists of the American Renaissance
When many hear “Romanticism” they think of love, but Romanticism isn’t mainly about love. Yes, it may have some love, but it’s also about reasoning, nature, imaginations, and individualism. Like American Romanticism, that occurred from 1830 – 1865. It was actually caused by Washington Irving and James Fenimore Cooper. For Americans, “it was a time of excitement over human possibilities, and of individual ego. American writers didn’t know what “America” could possibly mean in terms of literature, which was American and not British. It questioned their identity and place in society, creatively” (Woodlief). It was characterized by an interest in nature, and the significance of the individual’s expression on emotion and imagination; good literature should have heart, not rules. Some of the most famous authors who wrote during American Romanticism were Nathaniel Hawthorne, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Henry David Thoreau, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. American Romanticism is important because it was the “historical period of literature in which modern readers most began to see their selves and their own conflicts and desires”. Romanticism was a literary revolution.
During the 19th century, a great number of revolutionary changes altered forever the face of art and those that produced it. Compared to earlier artistic periods, the art produced in the 19th century was a mixture of restlessness, obsession with progress and novelty, and a ceaseless questioning, testing and challenging of all authority. Old certainties about art gave way to new ones and all traditional values, systems and institutions were subjected to relentless critical analysis. At the same time, discovery and invention proceeded at an astonishing rate and made the once-impossible both possible and actual. But most importantly, old ideas rapidly became obsolete which created an entirely new artistic world highlighted by such extraordinary talents as Vincent Van Gogh, Eugene Delacroix, Paul Gauguin, Paul Cezanne, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Claude Monet. American painting and sculpture came around the age of 19th century. Art originated in Paris and other different European cities. However, it became more popular in United States around 19th century.