Guest curator, Peter John Brownlee, brings together an exhibit from the permanent collection of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art focusing on the works of American artists from the 1830s to 1918. The exhibit highlights paintings and sculptures that represent the changing scene of American art as it sharpened its vision and carved out a unique style that had never captured before. At the time, the American art world was influenced heavily by landscape paintings reflecting the popular movement westward but slowly an authentic brand of experimentation took hold that forged a distinctly American perspective.
The exhibit will showcase landscapes, still life, portraiture, and sculpture. From the romantic and vibrant landscapes of the Hudson River School artists such as Thomas Cole, John Kensett, and Albert Bierstadt to the realistic and edgy cityscapes of the Ash Can School including Robert Henri and John Sloan, the exhibit explores the changes in land, life and American culture.
Scenery, Story, Spirit: American Painting and Sculpture will be on display at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art starting on February 4, 2012.
Childe Hassam, "The Manhattan Club", n.d. (ca. 1891)
Tags: museum exhibits
