Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Painting the Past: The Gilded Age and Progressive Eras

Welcome back and Happy New Year!

In addition to the social and political changes of the Gilded Age and Progressive Eras, the artwork of the time sheds light on trends, ideas, and events. Check out the some of the painting here, and follow these links to learn more.

Pick one (1) artist and painting that intrigues, mystifies, or inspires you, and explain why. Comment by Tuesday, January 8, 7:50am.

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

Max Schmitt in a Single Scull, by Mark Harden.
The serene setting of the lake creates a calming effect on the onlooker. However, the use of the dark brown and decaying trees shows a diffrent side to the seemingly perfect senerio. When I first saw the paining it struck me as a happy scene, but the more I looked the more I saw the deception. Notice how the man looks down and wears a morose look upon his face. In addition, the man is very simply dressed indicating a lower status. I like how the bridge makre a european touch to it. If the author wanted to make this scene a more joyus one he would have used more livley coloring, and might have given our lonesome travler a companion. Is this a place that the painter fabricated? Is this a place the paniter loved? Who does the man in the picure symbolize? The preceding are questions that arose as I reflected on the paining.
-Mary Papasakelariou

Anonymous said...

Cassatt, entitled "La Toilette" . The picture of child and mother bathing her child was inspiring. Although it was simple, it still showed how people would bath their children before bath tubs and running water. The painting also showed a great example of the clothes worn in those times.
Kendall Burgess

Anonymous said...

I liked the painting "Max Schmitt in a Single Scull" by Thomas Eakins. I thought that Eakins perfectly depicted the scene. Showing a calm and significantly realistic view of the new sport of rowing. The sky in the background gives the idea of a perfect day outside. The Bridge in the background shows a unity between man and nature that sports like rowing provide.I believe that the painter loved this place to have depicted it in such a joyous way.

David Lim

Anonymous said...

I like James Abbott McNeill Whistler because in his works, he used only basic and neutral colors opposed to some of the bold colors that the other artists used. Another reason why I like Whistler’s painting(s) is because he uses different techniques that other artists probably have never seen or used.
-Serena Hudson

Anonymous said...

I like Max Schmitt in a Single Scull by Thomas Eakins.

I like this painting because of how it shows the many colors in nature. It portrays that everything in the world has a different meaning. What I really like about this painting is the reflection that is shown on the water. Eakins really goes in to detail to show how every little thing has a purpose in his painting.

KEVIN SMITH

Unknown said...

I personally enjoy The Eight by Robert Henri conidering that type of scene is so foreign in the society of today everywhere you look you find a man or woman working on a blackberry or a laptop to find a person who comes into a location and they interact with other people socially with no sense of time or purpose. I am a person who goes to various locations on my own to just spend time and interact with others because I fear as people find more ways to work more efficency then we as a society will slowly lose our ability to interact with others considering we all live in our own little world when we use our computers and electronics.

Anonymous said...

I really like the painting done by Cassatt, entitled “La Toilette”. This picture shows the relationship between a mother and daughter. It shows the mother taking care of her daughter and cleaning her. One can take from this picture the love a mother has for her child. I like the colors used in this painting.They are very basic.

Kendall Shanklin

Anonymous said...

John Sloan "McSorley's Bar" specifically made me think about the early 20th century society. This looks like it was painted for the viewers to understand the close-nbit relationships among men and women in that time period.

Connor Wood

Anonymous said...

Mar Harden's painting,Max Schmitt in a Single Scull is fasinating to me. It looks so realistic; almost like a picture that was taken by a casual onlooker. At a closer glance, you see how much detail was put into this painting, especially when you notice how exact each reflection is. I found this painting so inspiring and made me appreciate the arists that didn't get all the fame even more.

-Jennifer Gurney

Anonymous said...

Thomas Eakin's painting, Max Schmitt in a Single Scull was truly a work of art. With such realism, He perfecrtly depicted a tranquil and warm enviorment. At a clser glance, you see all the intricate detail of the painting,down to every reflection having perfect symmetry to the real object. This painting makes me appreciate the ability to create a beautiful masterpiece without recieving all the fame and glory.

-Jennifer Gurney

Anonymous said...

he painting "McSorley's Bar" by John Sloan appeals because
of it demonstrates the scene of urban life and ordinary people
and gives a snapshot of what a Bar life would be like. The colors and
the mood that Sloan depicts in the painting makes me want to put
it in somewhere in my house!
Kayla Adel

Anonymous said...

I personally like Max Schmitt in a Single Scull, by Mark Harden. In his painting, he painted perfectly to make a very pretty scene. And the reflection of the trees in the water really attracts me.

-JinXuan Chen

Anonymous said...

Coast Scene, Isles of Shoals, painted by Childe Hassam.
Hassam combines the impassiveness of the rocks with the fluidity of the ocean. His use of color really captivates the eye and the line of the piece causes your view to go on into the horizon like forcing you into believing in hope. The way he darkens the rocks and places puddles in their crevices makes it seem as if the ocean can conquer anything, even solid stone. The view is just breathtaking.

Shannon Kemp

Anonymous said...

I believe cecilia beaux is one of the most impressive artists. She grew up with her grandmother and aunt, yet was not brought down by her circumstances she became one of the greatest artists. She inspires me because of the way she captures people with her work. She uses colors and details to capture her admirers. She also inspires me because she became one of the top artists even becoming better than most male artists. Her work on The Dreamer proves to be one of her best works and makes her the famous artist she is today.

Shannon dodds

Anonymous said...

the artist that I like is winslow homer. He is an American landscaper which means his paintings are more of places not people. He uses warercolors and oils to create his paintings. My favorite painting is Frederick Rondel. He uses the watercolors to create sun rises and sun downs. That is why Winslow Homer inspires me.

Kirstyn

Anonymous said...

I think that Thomas Eakins was a very inspiring painter. He seemed to paint without limits, he just painted. This eventually led to his getting kicked out of school, but it also led to many paintings which are admired by many people today. His painting was not accepted at his time, so he supported himself by teaching. In Max Schmitt a Single Scull his realism is displayed, and his use of color sets a serene, positive tone.
-shelby

Anonymous said...

I like Mary Cassatts works in general for a few reasons. The overal mood of the paintings is gental and soft around the edges. Also, her paintings capture the unique bond between mother and child, which are expressed through simple daily tasks and outings. There is nothing overly vibrant or overstated about her work and she remains a prominant woman artist.
Sarah McDonnell
1st period

Anonymous said...

mark hardens' explosion in a shingle factoryis pretty cool, just looking at it is kind of confusing trying to figure out what it is, but the contrast between the light and dark and all the different shapes appear to be a really good painting with a lot of attention to detail
Chris duncan

Anonymous said...

I really liked the painting by Cassatt,"La Toilette". This is a very moving painting because it shows the love that the mother has for her child and the dedication for her too.
-Johnatan Herrera

Anonymous said...

"La Toilette" by Mark Harden was a painting that stood out to me. I thought that it was a sentimental picture of a mother taking care of her child. The detail and the colors in this painting are simple yet tell a story. I enjoyed taking in the serenity of this painting.
--Hayden Smith

Anonymous said...

I liked Thomas Eakins and his masterpiece "Max Schmitt in a Single Scull". In this painting, he brilliantly illustrates the beauty in nature and the sport of rowing. He uses deep and vivid colors in order to paint the atmosphere of a placid and serene getaway. This picture is a very bright and happy painting that shows that Eakins was a very optimistic painter.
This picture showed me that when one escapes into nature, it can grab hold of you and you can really view its true beauty.

Josh McKenzie

Anonymous said...

My favorite painting is Marcel Duchamp's,Nude Descending a Staircase, because not only is it's name awesome but it is crazy looking and if you stare at it you can see things in it that are not truly there. Also i love the color gold.
-cooper smith

Anonymous said...

I like the first one! It's a sweet view and rowing is sick. O and the author's in the painting...like Jen gurney said, I like the "intricate detail!" lol

Anonymous said...

John Sloan's "McSorley's Bar" intrigues me because it depicts a scene from every day life at that time. the subjects casually lean on the bar as if they've done so a million times.
sarah adams.

Anonymous said...

Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket, James Whistler

http://ftp1.us.proftpd.org/wm/paint/auth/whistler/i/falling-rocket.jpg

This painting, one of whistler's last, is a very poignant, dreamlike expression of the contents of the artist's mind at the time. This is the kind of impressionist beauty in which my entire love of art is founded.

Anonymous said...

The painting that was the most mystifying and inspiring to me was the picture by Thomas Eakins called "Max Schmitt in a Single Scull." What attracted me was the reflection of the trees and how it looks almost real. The whole rowboat was incredibly mystifying to me.

Robert H.

Anonymous said...

I liked Thomas Eakin's painting of the guy rowing. It realistically portrays the realism of the painting of the time.
Josiah Tour

Anonymous said...

i love max schmitts single scull picture! the detail in the painting is incredible... the time it must have taken to study the movement of the water and its characteristics is unthinkable... i love how it captures a single moment in time, with the man making eye contact with me...it is all just so realistic...
- J.Graves

Anonymous said...

The painting that intrigues me the most is Nude Descending a Staircase by Mark Harden because of the interesting shapes and colors. Since it looks like a jumbled mess of shapes, one can see whatever he or she wants in the painting.
NICK DANIELS

Anonymous said...

Childe Hassam had 2 paintings i really liked. they were "geraniums" and "ocean view." i liked these because the scenery was really pretty and the colors he used were really cool. -carly calhoun

Anonymous said...

I've always had an interest in art that portays urban life, so I have appreciation for "McSorley's Bar" by John Sloan.
The painting shows nothing more than a "slice-of-life" scene. We see ordinary men in an ordinary bar having ordinary conversations. But the scene is ordinary only for the time era. To us, a usual visit to the neighborhood bar during the 1800s is something we can never experience, except through this painting.
-Austin Price

Anonymous said...

My Personal favorite was " Elizabeth Winthrop Chandler" painted by John Singer Sargent because it mixes European elements of class with the harsh features of the womens almost severe facial features.
Staley Tomforde

Anonymous said...

I love Mark Harden's "Max Schmitt in a Single Scull!" It presents a a quite, lovely setting! My favorite part about it is the distant countenance of the first man in the boat and the direct detail in the reflection of the waters below. The light reflected on the trees and clouds reminds me of typical impressionist art style of the age. Way to go, Harden!
His,
Paige!