Download Artistic Developments

Artistic Developments
EQ: How does nationalism affect the arts
and culture of country?
Architecture
- Between 1820 and 1850 was a revival of
Greek architecture
-Midcentury Americans developed Gothic
forms (pointed arches and large windows)
-Thomas Jefferson largely contributed to the
Greek Architectural Revival in North America.
Struggle of Painting
-Painters suffered due to lack of interest, leisure,and a
wealthy class willing to sit for a portrait.
-Early Americans were forced to move to Europe.
“America exported artists and imported
art.”
-Puritans believed painting was sinful, a waste of time, and
obscene.
Emergence of Painting
Gilbert Stewart (1755-1828)-Gifted painter from Rhode
Island who painted several portraits of General
Washington and showed to Americans and the world
that great painters can not only come from Europe, but
also America.
John Trumbull (1756-1843)- fought in and painted scenes
from the Revolutionary War. He helped start the
movement for nationalistic paintings.
After the War of 1812 painters turned towards romantic
mirrorings of local landscapes.
Emergence of Painting (Continued)
Hudson River School excelled in capturing
American landscapes in paintings.
Paintings such as the above
were now the popular style
due to a rise in nationalism
after the war of 1812
Music
The Puritans had looked down upon nonreligious singing.
By mid 1800’s rhythmic “darky” tunes were being
popularized by whites.
Stephen C. Foster (1826-1864) made valuable
contributions to American folk music. His inspiration
came from the plaintive spirits of slaves.
Blooming of National Literature
Before 1820 there was little American Literature due to
their focus on conquering the continent and much of the
reading material was either imported or plagiarised from
England.
-American Literature received a boost from the
Nationalism created by the War of 1812.
-Knickerbocker Group (New York)- Group of American
writers including Washington Irving, James Fenimore
Cooper, and William Cullen Bryant. They received world
wide fame and recognition and earned respect for
Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism- The philosophy that “truth transcends
the senses and cannot be found by observation
alone.Everyone possesses an inner light that can
illuminate the highest truth and put him or her in direct
touch with God.” Was one of the mainsprings of
American Literature and greatly shaped many of the
works of the American writers of the second half of the
19th century.
Literary Lights
John Greenleaf Whitter (1807-1892)- A Quaker,
whose poems condemned inhumanity, injustice, and
intolerance. He aroused Americans on the issue of
slavery, which had long been “swept under the carpet”.
-Two women writers of the time were Louisa May Alcott
and Emily Dickinson.
-William Gilmore Simms was one of the most noteworthy
authors in the south. His novels contained southern
frontier and Revolutionary War themes.
Dark Writers of the 19th Century
-Edgar Alan Poe was an eccentric
genius who was orphaned as a young
boy and wrote horror poems and short
stories that focused on dark and
supernatural themes.
-Nathaniel Hawthorne was of Puritan descent
and focused on themes of evil, darkness, and
sin in his short stories and novels; his most
notable work being “The Scarlet Letter”
Section Summary
The War of 1812 sparked a rise in nationalism that caused a
rise in interest in American Art. In this nationalistic period
notable American architects,painters,musicians, and writers
emerged. Architects such as Thomas Jefferson were inspired
by Ancient Greek Architects and reflected their inspiration in
their projects. Preceding the War of 1812 painting had been
looked down upon by Puritans as sin, but inspired by
nationalistic feeling, American painters of the 19th century
painted beautiful landscapes of local areas and American battle
scenes. Like painting, Puritans had also condemned nonreligious music as sinful, but by the mid 1800s rhythmic “darky”
was being greatly popularized. American Literature developed
due to a rise in nationalism, groups of writers such as the
Knickerbockers of New York, and transcendentalism. American
culture and art were shaped by nationalism, which was boosted