Closely allied with American art's early attempts to establish a national identity was the idea of manifest destiny, the assertion that Americans were entitled by right to exploit the vast natural riches of the New World for their own profit and prosperity. Manifest Destiny/Manifest Responsibility explores that identity as expressed by 19th century painters, and its evolution at the turn of the century into the first stirrings of conservation and protection of natural resources. Paintings, prints, drawings and pastels showcase a diverse exploration of nature and landscape in American art from the 1790s to the mid-1960s. Early 20th century forays into abstraction and Japanese-inspired printmaking receive perhaps too strong a reading imposed on them as direct illustration of changing environmental consciousness but do reflect a shift from the grandeur of landscape into a more intimate fascination with natural forms.
Highlights include early American oil paintings of the Hudson River School and the warm dazzling light effects of the Luminists in grand vistas of wilderness, waterway, and polar views; an Edward Hopper landscape, Sierra Madre at Monterrey (1943); an oil painting by Rockwell Kent, Cranberrying, Monhegan (c. 1907), an example of the artist working outside his normal medium; and a set of six wood engravings by Clare Leighton, collectively entitled The Lumber Camp (1931). All 56 works are American art and all hail from the Terra Collection, making this the first show in Chicago dedicated solely to Terra artworks since the closing of the Terra Museum in October 2004. Running concurrently is Landscapes by Photographer Gary Kolb (see below).
http://www.luc.edu/luma/index.shtml
Image: Alfred Thompson Bricher (1837-1908), The Hudson River at West Point, 1864. Oil on canvas, 20 1/8 x 42 1/4 in. Terra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection, Chicago, IL.
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