Great American Art

Description

This course is part of Dillington Discovery Autumn week.

We begin with the sublime landscapes of the Hudson River School, in which early rural America was captured by such artists as Thomas Cole and Frederic Edwin Church.

At the end of that century came the Ashcan School, a collection of artists whose spiritual father was Robert Henri. Luks, Glackens, Shinn, and John French Sloan (The Philadelphia Four) all rebelled against establishment art to express their feelings about modern, urban, American life.

Edward Hopper, also taught by Robert Henri, became possibly the most popular of all American artists. His ‘Nighthawks’ (1942) became an iconic image of the twentieth century, and his works struck a chord with feelings of isolation in modern life.

Georgia O’Keeffe showed that a woman artist could overcome obstacles, becoming very popular with her large flower images, New York buildings, and the landscape of New Mexico.

Lee Miller began her career with Man Ray in Paris, switching from model to photographer. Her photographs of the famous in New York and London were followed by the most haunting images of the Second World War.

We conclude with the Regionalist artists of the thirties led by Grant Wood and Thomas Hart Benton; images of the city and country in the depression and its aftermath. These artworks are interspersed with some great photographs and extracts from some Hollywood Oscar winners.

You can attend all week or by the day. £58 per day, Friday £33 half day.

Monday Sept 6th – Hudson River School and the Early Ashcan School
Tuesday Sept 7th – The Ashcan school and the Armory Show
Wednesday Sept 8th – Edward Hopper: Life and Art
Thursday Sept 9th – Georgia O’Keeffe & Lee Miller – Art and Photography
Friday Sept 10th – Dustbowl & Dazzle – Art, Film & Photography in the 1930s