Audubon: A Tradition

John James Audubon - Virginian Partridge (Northern Bobwhite) under attack by a young red-shouldered hawk. Plate 76 from Birds of America by John James Audubon (Havell Edition). Restored 2008 by RestoredPrints.com. (click photo for larger image)John James Audubon - American Stork - 1827-28 - Watercolour, 60 x 47 cm - National Audubon Society, New York (click photo for larger image)West Indian born John James Audubon (1785-1851) was an American naturalist and traveller, who studied in Paris under the great Neoclassical painter, Jacques-Louis David, before going to America in 1803.

Audubon’s most famous works are the illustrations for The Birds of America (1827-38), the original drawings for which are in New York (Historical Society), and The Quadrupeds of North America (1845-48). There are oils and watercolors also held in the collection of Liverpool University.

Audubon's influence on ornithology and natural history was far reaching. Nearly all later ornithological works were inspired by his artistry and high standards--although we would not approve of some of his practices today. Birds of America is still regarded a a premiere example of book art. Audubon discovered twenty-five new species and twelve new subspecies.

Winslow Homer

Winslow Homer - The Rustics, 1874, oil on canvas, private collection (click photo for larger image)Winslow Homer - The Lookout- All's Well, 1896, oil on canvas, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (click photo for larger image)Winslow Homer (1836-1910) was an American painter whose works, particularly those on marine subjects, are among the most powerful and expressive of late 19th-century American art. His mastery of sketching and watercolor lends to his oil paintings the invigorating spontaneity of direct observation from nature. His subjects, often deceptively simple on the surface, dealt in their most serious moments with the theme of mankind’s efforts to establish his humanness in the face of an indifferent universe. In his later years, however, he abandoned the human subject entirely--and focused on land- and seascapes.

George Inness - A Tonalist

George Inness - Morning - 1878 - Oil on canvas, 76 x 114 cm - Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid (click photo for larger image)American painter George Inness (1825-1894) was one of the great Hudson River School painters, and also a great Tonalist. Tonalism was a painting style characterized by soft, misty light and shadows. It was inspired by many of the Barbizon School landscapes--and would later influence American Impressionism. George Inness was a master of the style.

"On Vacation with Winslow Homer: Wood Engravings of an American Master" at Morris Museum

Winslow Homer, Snap the Whip, 1873. Wood engraving on paper, Private Collection (Harper’s Weekly magazine, September 20, 1873). (click photo for larger image)Winslow HomerWinslow Homer is considered one of the foremost painters in 19th century America and a preeminent figure in American art. Anyone who will be in or near New Jersey this season should definitely check out a new exhibit of his work:

“MORRISTOWN, NJ.- This summer, visitors to the Morris Museum can enjoy the pleasures of the seashore and countryside, as seen through the eyes of American master Winslow Homer.”

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Be Careful What You Wish For - Regionalism and Grant Wood

Grant Wood, "American Gothic", Oil on beaverboard, 74.3 x 62.4 cm, Friends of American Art Collection, 1930.934 - All rights reserved by The Art Institute of Chicago and VAGA, New York, NYAmerican Regionalism is a style of art that became popular during the 1930s. Among its prestigious practitioners are Edward Hopper, Thomas Hart Benton and Charles Burchfield. The goal of the American Scene Painters (another name by which they became known) was to depict life outside of large cities such as New York--in straightforward ways that everyone could understand and enjoy. Considered by some to be the founder of the movement was Grant Wood, who created the famous “American Gothic” -- which catapulted him to fame overnight. But that dream come true turned into a nightmare for Wood:

“No American artwork has been parodied more than American Gothic. Zombies, dogs, Beavis and Butthead, the Muppets, Lego figures, and even Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton have taken a turn with the pitchfork. But the painting itself is no joke -American Gothic is as recognizable as the Mona Lisa and The Scream.”  

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