Picture- The Beeches by Asher B. Durand
This work shows impeccably drawn beech and basswood trees. It was painted for a New York collector by the name of Abraham M. Cozzens who was then a member of the executive committee of the American Art-Union. The painting shows a new trend in the work of the Hudson River School. It depicts a scene showing a tranquil mood. Durand was influenced by the work of the English landscape painter John Constable, whose vertical formats and truth to nature he absorbed while visiting England in 1840.
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.
In the era where Thomas Cole first established the Hudson River School, other artist that is not from the United State such as John Constable, has the same taste in nature and outdoors. John Constable who is from England, created many painting from the surrounding area from his backyard to the countryside. For Cole’s painting, his work of art has been throughout the Hudson River, therefore, his painting consist of vast amount of forest, river, and mountains. He also travels in many locations in America and even done some painting in Europe. Both painter love nature, for this example, landscape will be the primary focus.
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.
The oil on canvas painting by Thomas Cole named The Fountain of Vaucluse is a painting that is best appreciated in person. The painting is something that can’t be seen in just a few minutes to really take in all that it has to offer. The different emphasis on colors, and the use of 2D and 3D visual illustrations can be over-welling to the viewer. As I gazed upon the painting I found my viewpoint of interest change do to the altered landscape illusion that came into focus.
“The St. Johns River Entering the Atlantic Ocean” painted by Hermann Herzog stands in American Art as the most ascetically illustrative picture inspired in the Florida coastline. Although, this German American artist settled in Pennsylvania, he painted primarily landscapes inspired in the areas he visited. He traveled and painted throughout Florida, Maine, California and the Northeast side of the country coast.
Ivan Eyre’s landscape painting, Tanglewood is an exceptional piece of artwork. This beautiful acrylic painting on canvas is currently being displayed at the Winnipeg Art Gallery’s Landscape and Still Life exhibit. It strengthens the cultural prospects of Winnipeg, where it is displayed in. There are various attributes to it that makes it an impressive piece. Its display and composition in the museum being one of the contributing factors to its aesthetic appeal. I believe that this particular painting is incredibly appealing because of its spectacular use of colour, various shades being used skillfully. The technique implemented by Eyre is obvious as being create from an experienced artist, bringing the piece together in harmony. These three aspects are what makes Tanglewood a notable work of art.
Simpson, Jeffrey. Art of the Olmsted Landscape: His Works in New York City. Ed. Mary Ellen
The print of art is a Hiroshige, Plum Garden at Kameido, 1857, woodblock print. The print shows a calm and peaceful color of a regular day. The background consists of wash colors like reddish-pink that fades into white, and transfers once more in a green hue of the greenish ground. The image is showing a view of a several plum trees, with the stems, the flower, and the people on the other side of the fence. This work has a light pink background symbolizing the sunset and warm colors of the spring. The middle ground in the light white color shows the piece where there are people on the other side of the fence and appears to be walking around the garden or going throughout their daily business. The middle ground also has a view of several plum trees, which all of them seem to be inside of the fence. The focal point of the piece is the main plum tree with its branches swinging from the left at a sharp angle and moving to the right.
The main driving element in William Morris’s life has been the nature around him and the houses he lived in. The most prominent influence was the Kelmscott Manor. Therefore, I chose to go with Kelmscott Manor’s layout plan that exhibits the “inspirational garden “ that led to most of his design decisions, a map that depicts the pockets in the manor and how Morris was inspired by it. In addition to this, an original drawing of the Kelmscott Manor’s exterior that depicts how the manor amalgamated within the garden. To reinforce this, I picked a watercolor of the Kelmscott Manor and a photo that captivates the various perspectives of the garden in the manor. Moving on to his designs that interprets his love for nature I picked up the very first of his wallpaper design of the trellis that has a very naturalistic touch to it with the vines which seemed to be an extension of the “inspiration garden” on to the paper. Also chose one of the wallpapers he designed during the middle of his lifetime and one of his last designs as well. The underlying concept behind picking those was to outline the consistency in his design concept throughout his life. William Morris was a poet , whose poetry and compositions were also inspired by nature, and to depict his poetry in form of naturalism concept I picked a stance from one of his compositions that talks about forest, flora and fauna which directly ties to his underlying concept. Also the compositions he wrote always had engraved borders which was ...
John Taylor’s picture of the signing is very realistic, especially when compared to Wolf’s picture, which is in a much more abstracted form. In Taylor’s picture the viewer can easily recognize natural objects shown in their true form. For example, the landscape in the background of the piece is easily recognizable as a forest. The layout is filled with tall trees and wavy grass. The
Gardner, Helen, and Fred S. Kleiner. Gardner's Art Through the Ages: The Western Perspective. N.p., 2014. Print.
Frederic Edwin Church was clearly an epic and defining figure among the Hudson River School painters, particularly in his collaborative efforts in developing a sense of national identity for America, but also in fostering tourism through landscape painting, political influence, and entrepreneurialism. By answering the national call for artists and writers to define American landscape, Church took the first steps towards becoming, not only one of America’s greatest painters, but also a successful entrepreneur when it came to selling his own work to make a living. Church was dedicated to preserving “scientific accuracy” in his interpretations of nature and beauty, which were stimulated by the scientific writings of geographer and explorer Alexander von Humboldt.1
John Constable was an English painter who worked in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. While not highly regarded by his contemporaries, Constable is today regarded as one of the leading English painters of the era. He was a part of the Romanticism movement and is most remembered for his landscape paintings. His paintings were usually of his home and surroundings and did not dram
Twain's detailed images of the "gold," (1) "tinted... opal," (1) and "silver" (1) river, paint the beauty he finds in the surroundings. The "graceful curves, reflected images, woody heights, soft distances; and... marvels of coloring" (1) depict the opinion Twain has of the river. This beauty has been learned and appreciated through the years of living along the river and is revealed through his images.
In this essay, I shall try to examine how great a role colour played in the evolution of Impressionism. Impressionism in itself can be seen as a linkage in a long chain of procedures, which led the art to the point it is today. In order to do so, colour in Impressionism needs to be placed within an art-historical context for us to see more clearly the role it has played in the evolution of modern painting. In the late eighteenth century, for example, ancient Greek and Roman examples provided the classical sources in art. At the same time, there was a revolt against the formalism of Neo-Classicism. The accepted style was characterised by appeal to reason and intellect, with a demand for a well-disciplined order and restraint in the work. The decisive Romantic movement emphasized the individual’s right in self-expression, in which imagination and emotion were given free reign and stressed colour rather than line; colour can be seen as the expression for emotion, whereas line is the expression of rationality. Their style was painterly rather than linear; colour offered a freedom that line denied. Among the Romanticists who had a strong influence on Impressionism were Joseph Mallord William Turner and Eugéne Delacroix. In Turner’s works, colour took precedence over the realistic portrayal of form; Delacroix led the way for the Impressionists to use unmixed hues. The transition between Romanticism and Impressionism was provided by a small group of artists who lived and worked at the village of Barbizon. Their naturalistic style was based entirely on their observation and painting of nature in the open air. In their natural landscape subjects, they paid careful attention to the colourful expression of light and atmosphere. For them, colour was as important as composition, and this visual approach, with its appeal to emotion, gradually displaced the more studied and forma, with its appeal to reason.
The second painting was by George W. Bellows and named Shoghead. This painting brought a sense of ease and relaxation. I can picture myself on the top of the mountain listening to the waves crash on the sides. The open countryside topped by the clouds give the painting a sense of realism. The extremely bright blue water stands out the most, though the focal point is not clear. There is not an excessive use of paint. It is as if Bellows caked it on his brush and made quick short strokes. The use of such dark colors on the hill is a mystery. The terrain has a roughness that makes the painting come to life. The artist did a great job of showing the depth. If I had to guess, he was influenced by Picasso’s work because of the extensive use of thick point.