The American Canvas
While it is impossible to characterize a field as broad as American painting through a small selection of canvases, the works on view here document several important moments in the history of American art. The first of these is the field known as Folk or Vernacular art. This was a style practiced by self-taught artists of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries who carried out portraits and scenes of everyday life in the early years of the American Republic. Most of this work comes from the New England states, from the hands of itinerant artists who created a market by selling their skills door to door. The Berkeley Art Museum's holdings in this area are among the richest in the western United States.
Other works on view here describe the artistic discovery of the West in the late nineteenth century. Two historically important paintings of Yosemite by Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Hill speak to the ruggedly dramatic glories of the western landscape. They are by-products of the continuing belief in Manifest Destiny - the nationalistic political argument that justified the U.S.'s westward expansion and seizure of lands throughout the nineteenth century. By contrast, works by William Keith from early this century describe in gentle tones and soft atmospheric effects a more domesticated landscape, one suitable for quiet habitation and as yet unmarred by the enormous population influx of more recent decades.
Albert Bierstadt
United States, born Germany, 1830-1902 . Yosemite Winter Scene . 1872 . oil on canvas
. 1881.4
Gift of Henry D. Bacon
Bierstadt's Yosemite landscapes encapsulate nineteenth-century America's overriding fascination with the West.
For the artist, and for a public eager for images of American natural beauty, the soaring rocks and valley walls of Yosemite embodied the American West's awe-inspiring grandeur and permanence. The paintings expressed the fulfillment of Manifest Destiny-a nationalistic sense of mission to expand ever westward, and to lead the rest of the world.
view image | thumbnail | hi-res
Artist unknownUnited States, 19th century . View of Providence, Rhode Island . circa 1825 . oil on panel
. 1992.22
Gift of W. B. Carnochan
Panoramic scenes of early American streets and buildings were painted to record for posterity the landmarks of the changing urban setting. The people of Providence appreciated them and the recognition they brought to their home town.
In this case, all the buildings have been identified. The church was then called the First Congregational Church, on South Water Street. Its belfry still holds the largest bell cast by Paul Revere's Massachusetts foundry.
view image | thumbnail | hi-res
Artist unknownUnited States, 19th century . Marine Scene . circa 1840 . oil on canvas
. 1974.23
Gift of W. B. Carnochan
Seascapes such as this recorded the early triumphs of American commerce. The movement of the steam packet Atlas, with a sailing sloop to the left, suggests the vitality of business and industry, including the important role of the steam engine in revolutionizing shipping and travel. Marine scenes also provided a record of everyday life for New England artists and residents.