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

Artistic Expression in 18th and 19th light speed AmericaThe first settlers in the new-made World faced irregular hardships. The men of the Virginia colony had enough trouble learning to live out the land, let alone having to defend themselves from native attacks. Famine proved to be a hard obstacle to conquer for all of the new colonies. New England, while having a more suitable climate for the prevention of diseases, in addition had its conflicts with local tribes. The Puritan ideals of New England were very strict especially in regard to private indulgences, including artifice. The only type of art that was acceptable, were portraits, nearly exclusively of upper class citizens and clergy. Through the years leading up to the revolution, however, as the population became diversified, new ideas started to influence popular thought. There were legion(predicate) an otherwise(prenominal) different cultures coexisting as fountainhead as different friendly classes. However, as was the standard in Europe, only the upper class state were part of the art world.Look at paintings from the per revolutionary 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 notice many similarities among them. As stated previously, they are all portraits. All of the subjects are portrayed in very fine clothes and are obviously represent for the painting. Most of these works have little or nothing at all in the background. One gets a very cold and infertile feeling when looking at these, and they are most certainly mean not for artistic flavor but simply to record 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 form of expression in painting. (Bazin 341).In th e period following the American Revolution up to the turn of the eighteenth century, we start to see some subtle soon enough significant changes in the popular artwork. We can see a untold bolder use of color and background, as in C.W. Peales Benjamin and Eleanor Ridgely Laming (1788) and Mather brownishs 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 each other and pleasant, happy smiles on their faces. Mr. Peales work shows the physical attraction betwixt Benjamin and Eleanor.