How Did Civil War Influence American Art

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In the years following the Civil War, art and culture in America was rich with symbolism relating to the war, the idea of America’s innocence, and the tension between old and new as the Age of Iron was sweeping the nation. The symbolism relating to these events and ideas was condensed to specific characters or settings that American artists expanded on in their art. Storms became the recognizeable symbol for the Civil War, and any conflict in general. America’s innocence was personified with children at play or even man’s fight against natural forces. These natural forces were most often portrayed as choppy waves for men to fight at sea. Thus seascapes became a popular setting for American painters as they worked to express the change their country was going through during their artistic careers. Artists like, Winslow Homer, John George …show more content…

Eakins used members of the Philadelphia rowing team as subjects for his landscape paintings to make calm and complacent scenes. Eakins uses a vibrant color scheme in his paintings, pairing clear blue sky with brightly colored boats. The water is noticeably different from the water of his contemporaries due to the fact that it’s mostly stagnant. The water only moves as the rowers move their oars, giving an analogy to how nature reacts as man acts. The near lack of clouds in this landscape suggests that no storm is on its way and the subjects are free to enjoy their leisurely day on the water. In the background of this painting, we see a couple iron bridges that are often used by railroads. In combining this railroad iconography with the subject of a rowing team, Eakins creates a painting that exemplifies the strength and intelligence of America. He references the Age of Iron that was influencing this nation and also pays respect to the idea of man labor as every subject rows their own

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