![]() "Study from Nature, Stratton Notch, Vermont," by Asher B. Stuart Īnd a selection of his “Studies from Nature,” featuring vignettes of Durand’s favorite sketching sites. “White Mountain Scenery, Franconia Notch, New Hampshire” (1857),Ī classic panoramic view of the White Mountains that was commissioned by the prominent New York collector Robert L. Although the peaceful scene appears to be effortlessly executed, Durand spent a year painstakingly sketching the hills in upstate New York so every detail, including the native trees and plants, was correct.Ī sensitive portrayal of Cole painted at the peak of Durand’s powers as a portraitist Ī landmark painting composed from oil studies made in the Shokan region of the Catskills that was intended to evoke the primeval North American forest and represents one of Durand’s most important contributions to the American landscape vocabulary In this scene, Durand depicts the coexistence of man and nature in panoramic scene that was considered a radical compositional departure at the time. One of Durand’s best-known pastoral images.Īn engraving based on the painting was distributed in 1850 to the members of the American Art-Union, a popular method for promoting fine arts. “Dover Plains, Dutchess County, New York” (1848), ![]() The botanical precision of the mountain forest and foreground trees marks a new direction toward realism in Durand’s work.Īnother highlight of the exhibition was the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s The painting depicts Bryant and Cole in the wilderness of the Catskill Mountains in New York and was intended as an homage to Cole and as a demonstration of Durand’s position as leader of the landscape school. It was commissioned by New York businessman and arts patron Jonathan Sturges as a gift for William Cullen Bryant, who had delivered a moving eulogy for Thomas Cole at the National Academy of Design in 1848. His multifaceted six-decade career spanned the period from the earliest efforts of artists and writers to create a national cultural identity through the mid-century triumph and subsequent eclipse of the Hudson River School.ĭurand’s most famous painting, “Kindred Spirits,” was the centerpiece of the exhibition. The exhibition was organized in a chronological and thematic manner that reflects the stages of Durand’s career, with emphasis given to the landscape paintings for which he is best known today. This progressive attitude, which aligns Durand with other supporters of realism, lends a modern sensibility to his work. Durand, who was influenced by the British critic John Ruskin, advocated a naturalistic approach to landscape. In the late 1840s, the distinction between plein-air sketches for an artist’s personal use and the larger-scale finished landscape paintings for public display collapsed. Durand’s influence hastened the decline of history painting in the mid-19th century and the rise in popularity of landscape paintings, which were increasingly considered great works of art.ĭurand was an early and influential proponent of sketching outdoors. He helped to define an American sensibility about the land, setting it apart from European traditions, and he perfected innovative compositional elements, such as the vertical format for scenes. During these 40 years, Durand set the tone for American landscape painting, which celebrated man’s relationship to nature and the wilderness. Durand (1796–1886), the acknowledged dean of the American landscape school from his election as president of the National Academy of Design in 1845 until his death at age 90, was a figure of central importance in American art. Mellon Curator and chair of American art at the Brooklyn Museum.Īsher B. Durand and the American Landscape” was organized for the Brooklyn Museum by Linda Ferber, vice president and director of the museum division of the New-York Historical Society and former Andrew W. New research and new approaches to the study of art history prompted this fresh look at Durand’s contribution to American art. These include the iconicĪnd “Progress (The Advance of Civilization)” (1853),Īs well as a generous selection of his plein-air painted sketches, often referred to as his “Studies from Nature.” Works from every aspect of Durand’s long career as a major engraver, portrait painter and landscape painter are on display. The exhibition presented 57 works, including some of the most beautiful and well-known American landscape paintings of the 19th century. ![]() 6, 2008 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. ![]() Durand and the American Landscape,” the first major retrospective in 35 years devoted to this celebrated leader of the Hudson River School, was on view from Sept. ![]()
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