Leadership: A New Kind of Art
The portrait on the left was painted by the French artist, Eugene Vincent Vidal, who lived from 1850-1908. It is called Portrait of a Woman with a Fan. The portrait on the right is called Portrait of Richard Boyle, 2nd Earl of Shannon by Joshua Reynolds, an English artist. This painting was created in 1727. These portrait paintings showed that the Europeans were very focused on portraiture art. They only painted people and the backgrounds of the art pieces are very sparse. The Portrait of a Woman with a Fan painting shows a young woman holding a fan in her hand. There is only one subject and the painting focuses on the subject. The only background to this painting is a wallpaper. Similarly, the painting on the right depicts a man standing in front of a tree. Here, the painting focuses on a man holding an axe or a shovel. In both paintings, the Europeans artists are only painting the subjects which are the people. They pay little attention to the background of the paintings. The backgrounds are vague looking. In Vidal's painting, it is assumed the woman is sitting in front of a wall. In Reynolds's painting, the artist only painted part of a tree and some of the sky to give the audience the idea that the man is outside. All the details are focused on the people. The artists put all the texture in the clothes of the woman and man. The lighting is even focused on the people. In Vidal's painting, he pays special attention to the way the light falls on the woman's face and glove. He makes it go from light to dark very gradually. However, if one looks at the wall behind her, then one can notice that she has no shadow. Vidal also decided to not worry about the setting and only on the person. In the same way, Reynolds focuses on his subject. He pays attention to the transition effect of light and shadow on the man. But, the tree in the background has very little shadow. The whole tree is one dull tone of dark brown. In addition, all the texture is on the man's clothes. From looking at the painting, one can see the man's shirt is very coarse and rougher than his coat. Although, the tree in the background is very smooth even though the artist tried to imply its texture by painting extra lines on the tree trunk. But, this does not have the intended effect on the tree.
The painting on the left is a portrait of John Adams by Gilbert Stuart. It was painted in 1826. Stuart was a famous American portrait artist. The painting underneath the portrait of John Adams painting is called Portrait of Rosalba Peale by the American artist, Rembrandt Peale. The date of the painting is unknown. However, Rembrandt Peale lived during 1778-1860 so he painted portraits around the time the Hudson River School was around.
During this time period, America was independent from Britain. However, they have been part of Britain so long they did not know how to act independent. America did not have any identity when it came to art. For this reason, the Americans artists decided to copy European art since they have been doing this all the time. The paintings are very similar to European portraits above because they focus only on the subjects. In the first painting, it shows only John Adams and in the second painting it shows a woman. The American artists mimicked European artists by not paying attention to the background. Stuart's portrait has a background that only contains two colors: black and some red. On the other hand, Peale's portrait only has black in the background. Peale's painting makes it seem like the woman is in space because there is nothing but the color black behind her. Another similarity between the American and European portraits is that the subjects are only painted from their chest upward. There is no full body paintings because they were more focused on the face. The main goal of the American artists and European artists were to paint the face of their subject so they could be remembered in the future when they pass away. For this reason, the people in the portraits are always facing forward and their faces take up the most space in the portraits. Before the Hudson River School was made, American art was exactly alike to European art. American art had no identity since it mimicked European paintings.
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The landscape paintings above were painted by Asher B. Durand. He was considered rebellious in the art world because his art was different from the rest of the artists. Durand was not like American portrait artists. He did not model his art after the European artists. Instead of focusing on portraiture, he decided to paint the landscape. In the first painting Dover Plain, Duchess Country, Durand focuses on the landscape. He paid very little attention to the people. Unlike the portrait paintings that the Americans and Europeans did, the people are not the main subject of the painting. Instead, it is the one of the less essential pieces in the painting. The first thing that catches one's eyes when one looks at the painting is the mountains in the distance. It is the biggest part of the painting; it takes up about half of the painting. Durand chose to paint the landscape and make it the subject of his painting. He wanted Americans to appreciate the landscape. The people in the painting are not in the spotlight. In fact, two of them are facing away from the viewer and the one person who is facing the viewer is so tiny, that his face is hard to see. Durand purposely chose to incorporate humans in his painting to indicate that humans are insignificant in his painting. He wanted to emphasize the point that humans do not need to be the center of attention in art. For this reason, Durand put all the texture in the painting in the trees and rocks, instead of the people. The focal point of his painting was the landscape, the mountains. This was the opposite of what European and American painters were doing which made him revolutionary. The portraiture artists made their people as realistic as possible while the background was overlooked when it came to details. Durand brought a new concept to art. He made the landscape the main subject of his art. His painting encouraged other artists to paint landscape because in the Dover Plain, Duchess Country painting, Durand purposely made humans minuscule to emphasize on nature's beauty in his art. He showed that landscape paintings could be art. This made Durand's art seem radical because his art was the opposite of what many American artists painted. Durand's paintings of nature in America made his art patriotic. His paintings like the one mentioned before, portrayed the simplicity of nature but in its best light. He was the first artist to display nationalism in paintings. Durand's enthusiasm for nature was nationalism because he was prideful of the land that made up his country so he painted the landscape. As a result, he was able to make art that represented America as a whole. This led to the formation of America's national identity because Americans now thought of his art as a representation of their pride. Durand's paintings represented the diversity of the people in America because he showed different aspects in his painting, Dover Plain, Duchess Country. There are so many trees, rocks, and the mountains; each of them were unique. This was the first time that America had a national identity ("Hudson River School Painters" 5). Consequently, it brought the people together. Durand's art made people realize their gratitude for the land and how honor they are to live in such a diverse land.
In the other two paintings, View on the Hudson, Near Denning's Point and Summer Afternoon, Durand does not include any humans at all in his artwork. This concept was defiant towards the principles of art during that time. In most of the paintings before Durand, there were people and they were the main focal point. For instance, in the portraits above by the American artists, the people were the only subjects painted in the portraits. There was nothing else in the paintings. However, Durand chose to exclude humans so that the landscape in his art can be enjoyed more. In the painting, View on the Hudson, Near Denning's Point, he painted a view that was very high. Durand painted it in a first-person point of view to give viewers the illusion that they were standing right there when they looked at the painting. The scene of the painting is very simple with trees in the front of the painting and the whole lake at the bottom of the view. However, Durand was able to emphasize on the magnificence of the Hudson lake by painting the horizon and its mountains to imply how never-ending the lake seemed. The lake stretched towards the horizon. By not putting any humans in the painting, he was able to focus on the landscape. In the second painting, Summer Afternoon, he also has no humans in his paintings. Durand painted a tree by a lake. The bright sun draws the viewer's attention to it and its reflection on the lake makes the lake the subject of the painting. The lake is the brightest part of the painting. In this painting, Durand was able to show the tranquility of the lake and its beauty with the sun shining on it. The two landscape paintings without humans were considered radical which makes Durand a revolutionary leader. Durand made landscape paintings which contrasted the artworks that were common during that time period. Portraiture art was common in America and Europe. Durand introduced the idea that not all paintings had to be about humans. In fact, paintings without humans could still be beautiful. He proved this in View on the Hudson, Near Denning's Point and the Summer Afternoon. Durand was able to show that landscapes could be the subjects of paintings. They were just as complicated to paint as humans. He was revolutionary because he motivated other artists to make landscape art. Durand proved to artists that landscape paintings could be a serious form of art. Durand inspired other artists as a leader to paint landscapes. His art only focused on landscape so he was encouraging other artists to break away from European art. American landscape art can stand on its own and still be consider art. American artists do not need to imitate European art. They have the land in America as a source of inspiration. Since Durand's paintings were concentrated primarily on nature, he was able to express America in his art. He showed national pride in his art by only portraying the landscape. His paintings depicted his appreciation for the land. As a result, his paintings created a national identity for America. Durand showed he was proud to be an American because he only painted America. Furthermore, Durand portrayed his pride for being an independent nation. He broke away from the art standards that were established by the British and made art that was truly American. Durand helped formed the nation's identity; because of his artwork, Americans were prideful of their country. He made them understand that America did not need to mimic Great Britain. It was an independent nation and could stand on its own two feet.
In the other two paintings, View on the Hudson, Near Denning's Point and Summer Afternoon, Durand does not include any humans at all in his artwork. This concept was defiant towards the principles of art during that time. In most of the paintings before Durand, there were people and they were the main focal point. For instance, in the portraits above by the American artists, the people were the only subjects painted in the portraits. There was nothing else in the paintings. However, Durand chose to exclude humans so that the landscape in his art can be enjoyed more. In the painting, View on the Hudson, Near Denning's Point, he painted a view that was very high. Durand painted it in a first-person point of view to give viewers the illusion that they were standing right there when they looked at the painting. The scene of the painting is very simple with trees in the front of the painting and the whole lake at the bottom of the view. However, Durand was able to emphasize on the magnificence of the Hudson lake by painting the horizon and its mountains to imply how never-ending the lake seemed. The lake stretched towards the horizon. By not putting any humans in the painting, he was able to focus on the landscape. In the second painting, Summer Afternoon, he also has no humans in his paintings. Durand painted a tree by a lake. The bright sun draws the viewer's attention to it and its reflection on the lake makes the lake the subject of the painting. The lake is the brightest part of the painting. In this painting, Durand was able to show the tranquility of the lake and its beauty with the sun shining on it. The two landscape paintings without humans were considered radical which makes Durand a revolutionary leader. Durand made landscape paintings which contrasted the artworks that were common during that time period. Portraiture art was common in America and Europe. Durand introduced the idea that not all paintings had to be about humans. In fact, paintings without humans could still be beautiful. He proved this in View on the Hudson, Near Denning's Point and the Summer Afternoon. Durand was able to show that landscapes could be the subjects of paintings. They were just as complicated to paint as humans. He was revolutionary because he motivated other artists to make landscape art. Durand proved to artists that landscape paintings could be a serious form of art. Durand inspired other artists as a leader to paint landscapes. His art only focused on landscape so he was encouraging other artists to break away from European art. American landscape art can stand on its own and still be consider art. American artists do not need to imitate European art. They have the land in America as a source of inspiration. Since Durand's paintings were concentrated primarily on nature, he was able to express America in his art. He showed national pride in his art by only portraying the landscape. His paintings depicted his appreciation for the land. As a result, his paintings created a national identity for America. Durand showed he was proud to be an American because he only painted America. Furthermore, Durand portrayed his pride for being an independent nation. He broke away from the art standards that were established by the British and made art that was truly American. Durand helped formed the nation's identity; because of his artwork, Americans were prideful of their country. He made them understand that America did not need to mimic Great Britain. It was an independent nation and could stand on its own two feet.
Please click on the link below for an essay on the Hudson River School:
http://www.askart.com/AskART/interest/hudson_river_school_painters_1.aspx?id=9
http://www.askart.com/AskART/interest/hudson_river_school_painters_1.aspx?id=9
During the 1800s, American artists were still painting portraits of people. Artists would exclude landscapes from their paintings. Sometimes, they would only include landscapes in the backgrounds. However, Durand changed the aspect of landscapes in paintings; he made people view landscapes in a different way. In the essay, “Hudson River School Painters”, it stated, "....for the first time, landscape was showcased as a serious subject for fine-art painting. Until then, it had appeared as backdrops in portraits...." ("Hudson River School..." 2). According to this essay, Durand was a defiant leader because he made landscapes an important part of art by making them the subject in his paintings. He did not focus on people in his paintings, but only nature. Durand made nature significant in his paintings. For this reason, he made American art patriotic because he only portrayed America in his paintings. In addition, his art pulled away from European art since he did not mimic British art. This shows that American art can be independent from Europe. Durand’s art not only concentrated on American landscape to show nationalism, but it also had a deeper message. Since his paintings were only about America, it implied his pride in the country. Americans should be proud of their country. As a result, Durand motivated other artists to make landscape paintings. He made many landscape paintings that were displayed in museums. This showed other American artists that it is acceptable to make paintings based on nature. American art did not need to be an imitation of the British's art. In addition, his paintings motivated other artists to join the Hudson River School art movement because these artists wanted to paint nature as a sign of their patriotism. Durand made landscape paintings significant in the art world. He incorporated nationalism in his art which changed the art world. His paintings portrayed his fascination of nature and its beauty. Americans who saw his art displayed in museums associated his art with America because his paintings were an admiration for America. Therefore, Durand helped create America's national identity. He brought Americans together because his art pointed out his appreciation of the country. This in turn made Americans appreciate their country for its diverse land. They became honored to be Americans. The development of the national identity was crucial in American history because it brought the country together. Citizens were no longer thinking about sectionalism. Instead, when they saw Durand's paintings, they saw the country and how they are a part of it. His art helped develop national unity because it gave America a national identity.
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