The Invention of Painting in America (Leonard Hastings Schoff Lectures)
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: November 2004
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 246
ISBN-13: 9780231132961
Subjects: History of art & design styles: c 1800 to c 1900; Painting & paintings; Art & Art Instruction; Art; USA; History - General; Art / History / General; General; Abstract expressionism; Painting, American; United States
First sentence: America's artistic "time of renown" was not to arrive for another century and a half, its "risen day" accompanying the emergence of the nation as the leading world power in the wake of World War II.
Description: "In this study David Rosand shows how early American painters transformed themselves from provincial followers of the established traditions of Europe into some of the most innovative and influential artists in the world. Moving beyond simple descriptions of what distinguishes American art from other movements and forms, The Invention of Painting in America explores not only the status of artists and their personal relationship to their work but also the larger dialogue between the artist and society. Rosand looks to the intensely studied portraits of America's early painters - especially Copley and Eakins and the landscapes of Homer and Inness, among others - each of whom grappled with conflicting cultural attitudes and different expressive styles in order to reinvent the art of painting. He discusses the work of Davis, Gorky, de Kooning, Pollock, Rothko, and Motherwell and the subjects and themes that engaged them."--BOOK JACKET.