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Colonial and Early National Art
Almost the entire history of American art can be read as a progression of
responses to European art. During the country's early days, artists naturally
looked to the mother country, England, for example and inspiration. Colonial
painters and craftsmen studied books and prints for information on the latest
styles from abroad. Just before the mid-eighteenth century, British émigré
artists began arriving to ply their trade in America, where they had heard
there was growing demand for luxury goods. And by the last quarter of the
century, American artists began traveling to London and taking the Grand Tour
through Italy and France, seeking first hand knowledge of the art they used as
the basis of their productions.
At the root of this circumstance were the clientele for paintings, furniture, and textiles. By mid-century, America was Britain's largest market for imports; the colonists purchased all manner of British and European goods at a rapid and often voracious pace. On the eve of the Revolution, Americans were quite close to England in terms of native identity. They aimed to make their cities, homes, and bodies as British in appearance as possible. The wealthiest colonists took their place in transatlantic society by importing tables, chairs, fabric for clothing and upholstery, liquor, and all manner of fancy goods. Their desires compelled American craftsmen and artists to compete with and imitate things English.
Web LINKS
National Gallery of Art
Themes in American Art: Portraiture
http://www.nga.gov/education/american/portraiture.htm
American Portraits of the Late 1700s and Early 1800s
http://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/gg62/gg62-over1.html
Connected Lines
The On-Line Furniture Style Guide
http://www.connectedlines.com/styleguide/
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