Art in America: A Critical and Historial Sketch

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, New Age, History, Fiction & Literature
Cover of the book Art in America: A Critical and Historial Sketch by Samuel Greene Wheeler Benjamin, Library of Alexandria
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Samuel Greene Wheeler Benjamin ISBN: 9781465544223
Publisher: Library of Alexandria Publication: March 8, 2015
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Samuel Greene Wheeler Benjamin
ISBN: 9781465544223
Publisher: Library of Alexandria
Publication: March 8, 2015
Imprint:
Language: English
THE art of a nation is the result of centuries of growth; its crowning excellence does not come except when maturity and repose offer the occasion for its development. But while, therefore, it is yet too soon to look for a great school of art in America, the time has perhaps arrived to note some of the preliminary phases of the art which, we have reason to hope, is to dawn upon the country before long. As the heirs of all the ages, we had a right to expect that our intellectual activity would demand art expression; while the first efforts would naturally be imitative rather than original. The individuality which finds vent in the utterance of truth under new conditions is not fully reached until youth gives place to the vigorous self-assertion of a manhood conscious of its resources and power. Such we find to have been the case in the rise of the fine arts in this country, which up to this time have been rather an echo of the art of the lands from which our ancestors came, than distinctively original. Our art has been the result of affectionate remembrance of foreign achievement more than of independent observation of nature; and while the number of artists has been sufficiently large, very few of them stand forth as representatives or types of novel methods and ideas; and those few, coming before their time, have met with little response in the community, and their influence has been generally local and moderate, leading to the founding of nothing like a school except in one or two isolated cases. But many of them, especially in the first period of our art, have shared the strong, active character of their time; and, like the heroes of the Revolution, presented sturdy traits of character. And thus, while the society in which they moved was not sufficiently advanced to appreciate the quality of their art, they were yet able to stamp their names indelibly upon the pages of our history.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
THE art of a nation is the result of centuries of growth; its crowning excellence does not come except when maturity and repose offer the occasion for its development. But while, therefore, it is yet too soon to look for a great school of art in America, the time has perhaps arrived to note some of the preliminary phases of the art which, we have reason to hope, is to dawn upon the country before long. As the heirs of all the ages, we had a right to expect that our intellectual activity would demand art expression; while the first efforts would naturally be imitative rather than original. The individuality which finds vent in the utterance of truth under new conditions is not fully reached until youth gives place to the vigorous self-assertion of a manhood conscious of its resources and power. Such we find to have been the case in the rise of the fine arts in this country, which up to this time have been rather an echo of the art of the lands from which our ancestors came, than distinctively original. Our art has been the result of affectionate remembrance of foreign achievement more than of independent observation of nature; and while the number of artists has been sufficiently large, very few of them stand forth as representatives or types of novel methods and ideas; and those few, coming before their time, have met with little response in the community, and their influence has been generally local and moderate, leading to the founding of nothing like a school except in one or two isolated cases. But many of them, especially in the first period of our art, have shared the strong, active character of their time; and, like the heroes of the Revolution, presented sturdy traits of character. And thus, while the society in which they moved was not sufficiently advanced to appreciate the quality of their art, they were yet able to stamp their names indelibly upon the pages of our history.

More books from Library of Alexandria

Cover of the book The Lone Ranche by Samuel Greene Wheeler Benjamin
Cover of the book Lendas E Narrativas (Complete) by Samuel Greene Wheeler Benjamin
Cover of the book Mary Jane, Her Visit by Samuel Greene Wheeler Benjamin
Cover of the book The Diary of a Resurrectionist, 1811-1812 to Which are Added an Account of the Resurrection Men in London and a Short History of the Passing of the Anatomy Act by Samuel Greene Wheeler Benjamin
Cover of the book Petticoat Influence: (A Football Story) by Samuel Greene Wheeler Benjamin
Cover of the book The Complete Angler by Samuel Greene Wheeler Benjamin
Cover of the book Seventy Years on the Frontier by Samuel Greene Wheeler Benjamin
Cover of the book Climbing in The British Isles. Vol. 1 - England by Samuel Greene Wheeler Benjamin
Cover of the book A Philosophical Essay on Probabilities by Samuel Greene Wheeler Benjamin
Cover of the book In Touch with Nature: Tales and Sketches from the Life by Samuel Greene Wheeler Benjamin
Cover of the book The Vast Abyss: The Story of Tom Blount, his Uncles and his Cousin Sam by Samuel Greene Wheeler Benjamin
Cover of the book Afghanistan and the Anglo-Russian Dispute by Samuel Greene Wheeler Benjamin
Cover of the book Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul by Samuel Greene Wheeler Benjamin
Cover of the book George Washington: Life in America One Hundred Years Ago by Samuel Greene Wheeler Benjamin
Cover of the book Our Edible Toadstools and Mushrooms and How to Distinguish Them: A Selection of Thirty Native Food Varieties Easily Recognizable by their Marked Individualities, with Simple Rules for the Identification of Poisonous Species by Samuel Greene Wheeler Benjamin
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy