Understanding America Through Art, Unit IV:
Landscape Painters of the
Wild Frontier
Boone Escorting Settlers through the Cumberland Gap, 1852. G. Bingham
Understanding America Through Art
SACSCE HS Subj 6-09
Unit IV, page 1
GLOSSARY
Artistic attribute
the cause, character or circumstance of an event that is credited to something the writer or painter
determines, not necessarily logical, sequential or factual; for example, in the cover painting, the artist
portrayed the Boone family walking through the wilderness with bright colors highlighting Boone and the
horse as if Boone were a religious leader marching into the American Promised Land
Dominant color
the color that is most prevalent or covers most of the picture
Embellish
add detail, ornaments or decorations to something to increase its artistic appeal
Evocative
anything that stimulates memories of the past
Foreground
the part of a painting nearest the viewer
Historical reference
any mention of an historically significant event, especially with regard to nations or geography
Hudson River School
American Art movement by a group landscape painters whose works were influenced by romanticism
Hue
a shade or degree of a color; for example, pink is a light hue of red, peach is a blended hue of red and
orange
Individualism
the quality of one’s opinions or works that make him unique, independent or nonconforming
Landscape
a picture representing a section of natural, scenery, prairie, woodland, mountains...an expanse of natural
scenery seen by the eye in one view
Middle ground
the center part of a painting, between the foreground and the background
Naturalism
a type of art that pays attention to very accurate and precise details, and portrays things as they are
Romanticism
a complex artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that revolted against strict social order of class and
religion; imagination and emotion replaced reason, the sensual and the senses were favored over intellect
Sensory
relating to sensation; anything that stimulates one of the five senses
Stark contrast
positioning two colors with varying degrees of hue or lightness side by side, such as yellow next to purple
or red beside green
Stationary
held in place, unmoving
Validation
reasonable proof of truth or authenticity
Understanding America Through Art
SACSCE HS Subj 6-09
Unit IV, page 2
What Do the Paintings Reveal?
Landscape paintings of the 1800s dominated American art for their displays of beautiful,
expansive, unspoiled wilderness, and for the sense of national identity that this distinctly
American understanding of nature portrayed. When the artists added people of the period to the
landscapes, or provided landscape backgrounds to portraits, the result was a collective sweeping
saga of the western frontier, offering visions of hair-raising terror, bravado and romantic ideals.
In this unit we will examine thirteen Americans, significant in their artistic accomplishment, and
in their place of importance in frontier history.
Artists are good story tellers, and weave tales from truth to fantasy. Many paint because they
love the interplay of colors with proportion (interior decorators). They seek to understand and
enjoy the subtlety of visual ideas (naturalism), and many have a message to communicate
(romanticism). In contrast, photographers who rely on natural composition to convey the
message, (Unit II), artists give us opinion through shades of meanings, providing a view that is
often restrained, delicate , or otherwise distorted, such that some guidance into understanding
the painting is required.
Each painting presented in this unit has been selected as a prime example of a style or
painting attribute for the student of art appreciation, coupled with its historical reference. For
example, our cover painting of Daniel Boone and his family emigrating from North Carolina across
the Allegheny Mountains into the Kentucky wilderness, yet unsettled by whites, shows a
determined American family ready to settle the frontier (historical reference). The artist’s use of
bright colors in the center of the picture draws our focus to the family of travelers, leaving a
background of jutting tree limbs and other travelers in shadowy darkness, implying perhaps that
this was not going to be an uneventful journey (artistic attribute). Look at the cover painting
again and ask yourself:




What attracts the eye first?
Where is the source of light coming from?
What can the travelers see ahead of them?
What dangers might be lurking in the shadowy woods?
Carl Wimar’s painting on the next page seems to continue the story of the Boone family…
Understanding America Through Art
SACSCE HS Subj 6-09
Unit IV, page 3
Abduction of Daniel Boone’s Daughter by the Indians, 1853. C. Wimar
About the artist:
Carl Wimar (1828 – 1862) was born in Germany, and came to America at the age of fifteen with
his parents. Settling in what was then the West, St. Louis, Missouri, he primarily occupied himself
with painting the themes of Indian life, buffalo herds, and life in the Great Plains. He also
portrayed the wagon trains of the western migration of settlers from the East Coast.
Artist on cover:
George Caleb Bingham (1811 – 1879) was born in Virginia, and fought for the Union in the
American Civil War. He is best known for his popular paintings of frontier life, many of them
considered iconic American images of the 1800s. Bingham is a genre artist, whose paintings
closely record scenes from everyday life of common frontiersmen. Like most painters of this time,
he romanticized truthful events, adding artistic attributes.
Understanding America Through Art
SACSCE HS Subj 6-09
Unit IV, page 4
The Landscape Rule of Thirds
One of the measures of a good landscape painting is its horizontal and vertical divisions between
foreground, middle ground and sky, as well as off-center positioning of the subject, illustrated
below in the grid on the left.
Appyling the Rule of Thirds to a painting divides it as seen on the right, with the sky as the top
third, and the focus or subject of the picture divided between off-centered tree and bright sun.
The bottom two-thirds of the picture is again divided between foreground desert and distant
mountains. The effect is pleasing to the eye, and invites the viewer into the scene by way of the
parched desert earth.
horizontal
vertical
One of the best examples of a balanced painting using the Rule of Thirds is George Catlin’s
Pennsylvania masterpiece below. Note foreground, middle ground, and sky.
About the artist:
George Catlin (1796 – 1872) was born in
Pennsylvania, and enjoyed a brief career
as a lawyer before joining the Lewis and
Clark Expedition across the waterways of
the Great Plains. Catlin’s interest was in
recording the proud, free and noble
character of the vanishing Indian race.
The Lackawanna Valley, 1856. G. Catlin
Understanding America Through Art
SACSCE HS Subj 6-09
Unit IV, page 5
A. One method of inviting the viewer into a landscape picture is via a road or pathway that leads
from the foreground into the middle ground.
Which of these pictures uses a road or pathway technique?
 The Lackawanna Valley
 The Wagon Boss
 Snap the Whip
Which of these paintings employs the Rule of Thirds?
 The Lackawanna Valley
 The Wagon Boss
 Snap the Whip
Which of these paintings uses lighter colors in the background to convey distance?
 The Lackawanna Valley
 The Wagon Boss
 Snap the Whip
Snap the Whip, 1872. Winslow Homer
The Wagon Boss, 1909. Charles Marion Russell
About the artist:
About the artist:
Charles Marion Russell (1864-1926) was many
things: consummate Westerner, historian, advocate
of the Northern Plains Indians, cowboy,
outdoorsman, writer, philosopher, environmentalist,
conservationist, and not least, artist. Russell came
from St. Louis, Missouri, to the Judith Basin of
Montana in 1880 a few days after his 16th birthday.
He worked as a cowboy and wrangler for 11 years
before retiring to become a full-time artist.
From the late 1850s until his death, Winslow Homer
(1836 - 1910) produced a body of work
distinguished by its thoughtful expression and its
independence from artistic conventions. A man of
multiple talents, Homer excelled equally in the arts
of illustration, oil painting, and watercolor. Many of
his works—depictions of children at play and in
school, of farm girls attending to their work, hunters
and their prey—have become classic images of
nineteenth-century American life. Others speak to
more universal themes, such as the primal
relationship of man to nature.
Understanding America Through Art
SACSCE HS Subj 6-09
Unit IV, page 6
The Artist’s Color Palette
An artist is influenced by colors found in nature, but may embellish or skew them to change the
effect or mood. Look at the color wheel below, divided by warm and cool colors.
When two colors are opposite from each other on the color wheel, they are called
complementary. Complementary colors make each other “pop” or stand out, forming stark
contrast. For example, yellow is the complement of purple. Red is the complement of _______.
Complementary colors
A monochromatic color scheme uses varying shades or hues of one color. Monochromatic color
schemes are meditative, leaving the mind opportunity to contemplate without the interruption of
emotion.
Monochromatic colors
B. What complementary color schemes can you see around you? ________________________
If you were decorating a room in your home where peace and quiet were important, what color
scheme would you choose?______________________________________________________
Understanding America Through Art
SACSCE HS Subj 6-09
Unit IV, page 7
Consider these two opposite color treatments of the Oregon Trail. Which appeals to your
emotions? Which is exciting? Which is soothing? Do you think either of these paintings are the
actual colors the artists saw? What part of each of the paintings is your eye drawn to first? What
time of day is pictured? Are the surrounding colors blended into the dominant color, or are they
pictured in stark contrast?
About the artist:
Albert Bierstadt (1830 –
1902) was born in Germany,
and immigrated to
Massachusetts with his
family at the age of two. He
studied painting in Germany,
but returned to the United
States where he became
famous for his beautiful,
enormous paintings of the
American Western
landscapes, fused with
golden light.
The Oregon Trail, 1869. A. Bierstadt
About the artist:
Frederick Childe Hassam
(1859 – 1935) was born in
Massachusetts, and studied
painting in Boston and many
parts of Europe. He is best
known for his lifelike effects
that capture light and
atmosphere. Notice how the
artist paints the
thunderstorm.
Thunderstorm on the Oregon Trail, 1908. F. Hassam
Understanding America Through Art
SACSCE HS Subj 6-09
Unit IV, page 8
Paintings That Startle
How does the artist create a picture so lovely, so vile or so evocative that you cannot look away
from it? Artists who are able to appeal to any of the five senses, sight, hearing, smell, touch and
taste, are the creators of such images. To appreciate the emotional impact of the paintings that
follow, imagine that you have entered the painting, and are participating in some way, in the
action. Ask what you are hearing, touching, and seeing. Are you fearful, inspired, or
incredulous?
Here are three sensory paintings from the 1800s:
Death Struggle, 1847. C. Deas
About the artist:
Charles Deas (1818 – 1867) is renowned for his paintings of dramatic and romantic Western scenes. Born
in Philadelphia, he was expected to follow his grandfather’s decorated military career (Ralph Izard,
Revolutionary War hero), but he grew to prefer painting trips in the Hudson River Valley. Many of his
famous works portray battles with the Indians.
Understanding America Through Art
SACSCE HS Subj 6-09
Unit IV, page 9
About the artist:
Robert S. Duncanson (1821
– 1872) was one of the first
African American artists to
gain international
recognition. A painter of
houses and “fancy
paintings”, his landscapes
and murals of the Ohio River
Valley decorate the Taft
Museum of Art. The story of
this painting’s characters,
Uncle Tom and Little Eva,
can be found in the novel by
Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle
Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among
the Lowly. This sentimental
story asserts that Christian
love can overcome the destruction of a soul enslaved.
Uncle Tom and Little Eva, 1853. R. Duncanson
The Life Line, 1884. Winslow Homer
C. Use your senses to discuss the painting, The Life Line. What do you hear, see, feel and smell
as you struggle for your life hanging from a rope?_____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Understanding America Through Art
SACSCE HS Subj 6-09
Unit IV, page 10
Clues in the Details
Close your eyes and consider a landscape scene from your neighborhood, or from a vista you
have recently viewed. Imagine that you are a landscape artist about to represent that scene or
vista on a blank canvas in front of you. Think about what major geographical features you would
want in your painting. Sea coast? Clouds or clear sky? Foreground with children playing in the
sand? Now imagine the finer details of the painting – is the sea calm or are the waves splashing
mightily, and are they all one color, or many shades? Are the clouds moving or stationary? Are
the children playing with red buckets and blue shovels, or are they collecting pink and purple
shells? Does one child have a braid bound with a yellow ribbon? Can you see the emotion in the
children’s faces?
As an artist prepares a painting in its final stages, details are added to enhance the realistic
nature of the painting, to add validation and interest, and to make the painting appear lifelike.
Consider the following artists, all well known for their detailed works. Some questions we can
only guess at: Why is Sacajawea’s blanket red? How close are the mountains in the
background? If we can identify the rifle he is holding, can we estimate the height of William
Clark?
About the artist:
Newell Convers Wyeth (1882
– 1945) was an American
Western Adventure illustrator
and an easel artist who
enjoyed placing great detail
into his well-researched
works. The painting at right
portrays a famous moment in
history when Lewis and Clark,
searching for a water route
that would connect the east
coast with the Pacific Ocean,
found themselves landlocked
in the Rocky Mountains.
Their Shoshone Indian Guide,
Sacajawea, who had grown
up in the northern Rockies of
Idaho, came to their aid by
pointing out the mountain
pass that would eventually
lead their party to the
headwaters of the Columbia
River, and the Pacific Ocean
beyond.
Understanding America Through Art
Sacajawea with Lewis and Clark during Their Expedition of 1804 – 1806. N. C. Wyeth
SACSCE HS Subj 6-09
Unit IV, page 11
George Washington Crossing the Delaware, 1851. E. Leutze
D. In this famous, patriotic masterpiece, Emanuel Leutze used the Elements of Composition to bring the
painting to life. Use the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City as your guide through this painting.
The answers to the questions will be found at this clickable, interactive web address:
http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/gw/el_gw.htm
1. Why did General Washington’s troops need to cross the Delaware River?
____________________________________________________________________________________
2. When did this historic event occur?_____________________________________________________
3. What are the key Elements of Composition?
__________________
____________________
__________________
____________________
_____________________
_____________________
4. How does Leutze convey prospective?___________________________________________________
5. What is the difficulty with the lightest areas of the painting?_________________________________
6. What makes the flag appear to be moving?______________________________________________
7. How did Leutze use the size of the boat to convey emotion?_________________________________
8. Which figure is George Washington? How do you know?____________________________________
About the artist:
Emanuel Leutze (1816 – 1868) was born in Germany and raised in Pennsylvania. He returned to Germany
as a young man to study art and became an enthusiastic supporter of the American Revolution. Hoping to
ignite a similar flame among Germany’s liberal reformers, he began painting a moving portrayal of the new
colonists’ battles with their foes.
Understanding America Through Art
SACSCE HS Subj 6-09
Unit IV, page 12
Study Thomas Cole’s landscape below. Can you count the birds circling the crumbling tower?
How many colors were used in forming the clouds and the rocks? Can you find the hiker in the
lower center? What purpose does the addition of small bushes on the green plains bring into the
picture? How does the artist convey to us that the wind is blowing? Where is the rain falling?
Romantic Landscape with Ruined Tower, (unknown date). T. Cole
About the artist:
Thomas Cole (1801 – 1848) is regarded as the founder of the Hudson River School, an American art
movement that flourished in the mid-19th century. Cole's Hudson River School, as well as his own work,
was known for its realistic and detailed portrayal of American landscape and wilderness, which feature
themes of romanticism and naturalism.
Understanding America Through Art
SACSCE HS Subj 6-09
Unit IV, page 13
The American Romanticists
Any study of American artists from the 1800s would be incomplete without a discussion of
romanticism, the artistic and literary movement that revolted against the strict social order of
class and religion, and chose instead, individualism. Imagination and emotion replaced reason,
the sensual and the senses were favored over intellect. Romantic stylists preferred unlimited
boundaries and dismissed traditional procedures. In plain terms, romanticists began painting
what they didn’t see, but surely imagined, spiritually and every other way.
Hudson River School (1835 - 1870)
Hudson River School was the first American school of landscape painting active from 1835-1870. The subjects
of their art were romantic spectacles from the Hudson River Valley and upstate New York, with three distinctive
themes: discovery, exploration and settlement. The artist Thomas Cole is synonymous with this region and first
leader of the group.
Romanticism, in literature and in art, contains all or part of the following characteristics:
1. Interest in the common man, and a belief that childhood is a time of goodness, inspiring the heart to soar
2. Knowledge is gained through intuition rather than deduction
3. Emphasis on the awe of nature, on its grandiosity and wondrous beauty
4. Elevation of the achievements of the misunderstood, heroic individual outcasts
5. Belief in the authenticity of the individual imagination
E. Which of these characteristics can you name in the paintings that follow? Right the numbers on the blanks.
The first one is done for you.
About the artist:
George Caleb Bingham
(1811 – 1879) was born
in Virginia, and fought for
the Union in the American
Civil War. He is best
known for his popular
paintings of frontier life.
Romantic
characteristics:
#1 because it shows
common men, #3
because the painting
shows beauty in nature,
#5 because the artist
imagined life on the raft
without having actually
seen it
Raftsmen Playing Cards, 1847. G. Bingham
Understanding America Through Art
SACSCE HS Subj 6-09
Unit IV, page 14
About the artists:
Charles Christian Nahl
(1818-1878) and
August Wenderoth
(1819-1884) were
refugees from
Germany. Like
thousands before
them, they came to
California to seek
fortune. They
established
themselves as
entrepreneurs, setting
up a studio and
painting the first wave
of miners during the
California Gold Rush
of 1849.
E. Romantic
characteristics:
_________________
Miners in the Sierras, 1852. C. Nahl & A. Wenderoth
About the artist:
The Last Spike, 1870. T. Hill
Thomas Hill (1829 - 1908)
was born in England and
came to Massachusetts
with his family at the age
of fifteen. He is best
known for his paintings of
the West, especially the
mountain ranges of
Colorado and California.
The painting at left
commemorates the
establishment of an
overland railroad reaching
from east to west, with
California Governor
Stanford, standing center,
at Promontory Summit,
Utah, joining the Central
Pacific RR and the Union
Pacific RR, looking east to
the Wasatch Mountains.
F. Romantic characteristics:_________________
Understanding America Through Art
SACSCE HS Subj 6-09
Unit IV, page 15
REFERENCES for ADDITIONAL RESEARCH
Unit IV: American Painters of the 1800s
http://famousamericans.net/charlesdeas/
http://www.nga.gov/education/american/landscape.shtm
Hagan, John. Painting Beyond Fashion.
Lubin, David M. Picturing A Nation.
Venezia, Mike. Winslow Homer.
www.emersonkent.com
www.wikipedia.americanartists
Understanding America Through Art
SACSCE HS Subj 6-09
Unit IV, page 16