Anchorage Public Library >> Picturing America >> Art
"Picturing America" - May 2009 at Anchorage Public Library...
The following images are featured in beautiful prints at Z. J. Loussac and Muldoon Branch Libraries during the month of May, 2009. Please go to one of these two locations for a closer look at these images and to find additional resources. Click on the "resources" link for each image to locate books and websites about American history and other related topics that connect with these works of art.
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Thomas Hart Benton, The Sources of Country Music, 1975
The Sources of Country Music has five distinct scenes: a barn dance with fiddlers, three women with hymnals, two women dancing to an Appalachian dulcimer, an African American with a banjo, and a cowboy with a guitar. Thomas Hart Benton painted this mural in the Midwestern Regional style at the age of 84. The mural was commissioned for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee.
How did Benton create a sense of rhythm in the painting? How did Benton join the different scenes together?
He created rhythm by slanting the people, train and phone poles to the right. The people overlap and face the center of the painting. The same colors and style also blend the scenes together.
Thomas Hart Benton (1889–1975), The Sources of Country Music, 1975. Acrylic on canvas, 72 x 120 in. (182.9 x 304.8 cm.). Courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum. The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is operated by the Country Music Foundation, Inc., a Section 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational organization chartered by the State of Tennessee in 1964. Art © Thomas Hart Benton and Rita P. Benton Testamentary Trusts/UMB Bank Trustee.
George Caleb Bingham, The County Election, 1852
George Caleb Bingham depicts a raucous voting party in a rural Midwestern town in his painting The County Election. The scene depicts voters from all walks of life that were eligible to vote in the 1850s. At the time there was no voter registration, so a person swore on the Bible that he had not already voted. The voter then called out his vote to the election clerk who recorded the vote in a ledger. There is no single focus in the painting, giving the picture the feeling of democratic equality. The artist, who was running for political office, placed himself in the painting. He is seated on the lower stairs wearing a light-colored stovepipe hat.
Can you find the dog, the man in a top hat who looks like he is writing or drawing, a man pouring a drink and a horse and rider? Why are there no women or African Americans in the scene?
The dog is in the center, the man in the top hat is the in the center on the stairs, the man pouring drinks is on the left and the horse and rider are in the distance. There are no women or African Americans in the painting because neither could vote in 1852.
George Caleb Bingham (1811–1879), The County Election, 1852. Oil on canvas, 38 x 52 in. (96.5 x 132.1 cm.). Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, Mo., Gift of Bank of America.
John Singer Sargent, Portrait of a Boy, 1890
John Singer Sargent painted portraits in the aristocratic style of Europe. The boy is Homer, son of the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Homer is dressed in the "Little Lord Fauntleroy" suit popular at the time. Sargent captures the restlessness of a child not listening to his mother reading by depicting him with a slumped posture and his foot on the chair rung. Titling the painting Portrait of a Boy and treating the mother as an extra provides a statement on the nature of boys.
How does Sargent use the surroundings to emphasize the impatience of the boy? How is Homer's importance emphasized in the painting?
The chair is too big for a boy to sit comfortably, and the swirling carpet pattern mirrors his impatience at posing. Homer's importance is emphasized by placing him in the center foreground. The large chair and bright light shining on his face, hands and large bow tie highlight Homer's importance.
John Singer Sargent (American, 1856-1925), Portrait of a Boy, 1890. Oil on canvas, 56 1/8 x 39 1/2 in. Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh; Patrons Arts Fund. Photograph © 2007 Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh.
John Singleton Copley, Paul Revere, 1768
This John Singleton Copley picture was painted before Paul Revere's ride, when Revere was one of Boston's famous silversmiths. The painting shows Revere's physical strength, intelligence and pride in his work. Portraits of the time were done to capture a person accurately. In Copley's composition, he uses the table as base, the sleeve and arm to the head and silver pot to form a triangle used in classic art.
What is Paul Revere holding? How does Copley draw attention to the face? What trait does Copley suggest by placing Revere’s hand under his chin?
Paul Revere is holding a teapot and his chin. The use of a dark background contrasts the face and shirt, and the hand on the chin draws the viewer up to the face. The hand on the chin reveals a thoughtful trait.
John Singleton Copley (American, 1738–1815) Paul Revere, 1768. Oil on canvas, 89.22 x 72.39 cm (35 1/8 x 28 ½ in.). Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Gift of Joseph W. Revere, William B. Revere and Edward H. R. Revere, 30.781 Photograph © 2008 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Hiram Powers, Benjamin Franklin, 1862
In 1858, Hiram Powers was contracted to produce a statue for the U.S. Senate. Powers used a naturalistic style to portray Benjamin Franklin. He used historically accurate clothing styles to sculpt the heavy coat and loose hose. As an acknowledgment of Franklin's scientific experiments, the tree trunk is scorched by lightning. The curve of the tree trunk counter balances the relaxed leg, and the lightning crack leads the viewer to Franklin's arm, hand and thoughtful expression.
Why is Franklin dressed casually? Why did Powers put the tree stump in the sculpture?
Franklin is dressed in everyday clothes to show he was an inventor and not just a political figure. The tree stump gives the statue balance, and the crack caused by lightning reminds people of Franklin’s experiments.
Hiram Powers (1805–1873), Benjamin Franklin, 1862. Marble, height 97 1/2 in., width 34 7/8 in., depth 21 5/8 in. (247.7 x 88.6 x 54.9 cm.). U.S. Senate Collection.
