Artistic Expression in 18th and 19th Century America :: American America History

Artistic Expression in 18th and nineteenth Century AmericaThe first settlers in the New World approach unpredictable hardships. The men of the Virginia colony had enough trouble learning to hot off the land, let alone having to defend themselves from native attacks. Famine turn out to be a hard obstacle to conquer for all of the new-fashioned colonies. New England, while having a more suitable climate for the saloon of diseases, also had its conflicts with local tribes. The Puritan ideals of New England were very strict peculiarly in inclination to private indulgences, including art. The only type of art that was acceptable, were portraits, almost exclusively of upper family unit citizens and clergy. Through the years lede up to the revolution, however, as the population became diversified, new ideas started to influence popular thought. in that respect were many diametric cultures coexisting as well as different social classes. However, as was the standard in Europe, onl y the upper class people were part of the art world.Look at paintings from the per rotatory era, including The Mason Children David, Joanna, Abigail, (unknown artist), Hanna Minot Moody (Joseph Badger), New England Merchant (Charles W. Peale), Portrait of Elizabeth, The Artists Daughter (John Singleton Copley), we come across many similarities among them. As stated previously, they are all portraits. All of the subjects are portrayed in very fine clothes and are plainly posing for the painting. Most of these works have little or zero at all in the background. One gets a very frore and sterile feeling when looking at these, and they are most surely intended not for artistic expression but simply to saucer the image. As late as 1800, owing to the limited economy of the Colonies as well as the Puritans prejudice against idolatry and their regard for art as a luxury, portraiture was the only accepted make of expression in painting. (Bazin 341).In the period following the Americ an transformation up to the turn of the eighteenth century, we start to see some sharp yet significant changes in the popular artwork. We can see a much bolder use of color and background, as in C.W. Peales benzoin and Eleanor Ridgely Laming (1788) and Mather Browns Sir Richard Arkwright (1790). Emotion is shown of the faces of the subjects and Ralph Earl showed the Striker Sisters (1787) with their arms around to each one other and pleasant, happy smiles on their faces. Mr. Peales work shows the physical tie between Benjamin and Eleanor.