19th & 20th Century Influential American Artists: Exhibit 2
July 15, 2020 – Mid November 2020.
This exhibit’s earliest works, John Frederich Kensett, Sanford Robinson Gifford and more, are members of the second generation of the Hudson River School (Luminism) which was a mid-19th century American art movement whose members embodied an aesthetic vision influenced by Romanticism. They reflect the theme of discovery, exploration and settlement and depict American landscape as a pastoral setting where humans and nature coexist peacefully. Their work is realistic, detailed and sometimes idealized portrayal of nature.
Three of the six founders of the Taos Society of Artists (founded July 19, 1915) are represented- Joseph H. Sharp, E. Irving Couse and W. Herbert Dunton. Their work defined the first several decade of the Taos art colony which was distinguished by depictions of Native Americans in traditional clothing, area Hispanics and Anglo Americans and landscapes. They applied academic techniques to native themes to produce a uniquely American school of painting with each artists’ style being unique, though cross influences can certainly be noted along with strong elements of their European Academic artistic training.
Many of the giants of Western American art as represented in the exhibit- Charles M. Russell, Frederic Remington, Olaf Seltzer, and Henry Farny to name a few. Their strong illustration background and academic training led to precise and vivid representations of the historical documentation of the American West and its people- from the trappers and cowboys to Native Americans. Some of our best records of the artifacts of the period are documented by this group of artists.
The Transcendental Painting Group of New Mexico founder, Raymond Jonson, along with Art Green and John Nieto represent a more Modernist painting tradition in the exhibit. Jonson believed in the universal significance of art seeking art that was “vitally rooted in the spiritual need of the times” … one that expressed “most truly creative, fundamental and permanent impulses emerging in the American continent.” He sought order and unity in his work. Art Green, by contrast, mixed pop-art motifs with surrealist tendencies, creating a contained tension between order and chaos, rationalism, and irrationalism.
All of these artists were following their own path, a path influenced by the context of the time they lived in and the demands on their lives. Each has a fascinating story to tell and one can reflect on each one of the artworks with the thoughtful regard to history that is seen in the exhibit.
Artists and artworks exhibited:
John Frederick Kensett (1816-1872), Autumn Sunset.
David Johnson (1827-1908), On the Wallkill.
Thomas Pollock Anshutz (1851-1912), Lady with Bonnet.
William Trost Richards (1833-1905), Mountain.
Sanford Robinson Gifford (1823-1880), A Forest Road.
Joseph Henry Sharp (1859-1953), The Old Arrow Tree.
Eanger Irving Couse (1866-1936), Spirit of the Pool.
William Herbert “Buck” Dunton (1878-1936), New Cattle Country.
E. Martin Hennings (1886-1956), The Bathers.
Fremont Ellis (1897-1985), The Old Wall.
Gerald Cassidy (1869-1934), Church Door.
Karl Bodmer (1809-1893), Pehriska-Ruhpa in the Costume of the Dog Dancer.
Herman Wedelbord Hansen (1854-1924), Sunset on the Plains of Wyoming.
F. Winold Reiss (1886-1953), Big Face Chief (Wolf Talk); Medicine Woman, Piegan.
Maurice Braun (1877-1941), The Oaks.
Henry F. Farny (1847-1916), The Indian Chief.
Frank Paul Sauerwein (1871-1910), Winter Passage, Ute Reservation.
Olaf C. Seltzer (1877-1957), Crossing the Plains.
Charles Marion Russell (1864-1926), Scouting Party; Scouting for New Range; The Snake Priest; Piegan Maiden, 1900-02 Restrict 1969 Forrest Fenn.
Frederic Sackrider Remington (1861-1909), The Bronco Buster.
Soren Emil Carlsen (1853-1932), Richmand Bridge; Sea and Rocks.
R. Brownell McGrew (1916-1994), Big Thumb, A Navajo.
Dale Nichols (1904-1995), Keeper of the Flocks.
Lon Megargee (1883-1960), Navajos Riding; Steer Rider.
John Fery (1859-1934), Bull Elk in Teton Range, Wyoming.
Robert Macfee (Bob) Scriver (1914-1999), The Moon of the Yellow Leaves.
Robert William Wood (1889-1979), Landscape.
Richard Sloan (1935-2007), Flowers on an Inca Wall.
John Nieto (1936-2018), Feather Dancer.
Art Green (1941- ), Fat Chance.
Raymond Jonson (1891-1982), Oil No. 7.
Many thanks to the collectors and galleries that loaned us artwork along with the work put in by board members, National Advisory Council members and volunteers to make this an exceptional exhibition of 19th & 20th Century American Art.