A History of American Art

436 Pages·1971·70.715 MB·English

by  George M. Cohen

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A LAUREL ORIGINAL
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George M. Cohen
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The saga of American art has a proud heri-
tage and a promising future. Ultimately, Amer-
ica has been, through the centuries, a gigantic
melting pot and assimilator of outside artistic
styles, techniques, and philosophies. Although
America's art heritage is relatively new, it has
so aged, matured, and ripened into a recog-
nized tradition that now the world turns to it
for direction, purpose, and meaning,
FROM THE INTRODUCTION
George M. Cohen is the holder of A. B. and
A. M. degrees from Harvard and a Ph. D. from
Boston University. He has taught, lectured, and
written extensively on art histor}^ and is at pres-
ent Associate Professor of Art History at Hof-
stra University.

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A
History of
American
Art
by GEORGE M. COHEN
X
Publishedby
Dell PublishingCo.,Inc.
750ThirdAvenue
NewYork, NewYork 10017
Copyright© 1971 byGeorge M. Cohen
Allrightsreserved. Nopartofthisbookmaybe
reproduced inanyformorbyany meanswithoutthe
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exceptingbriefquotesusedinconnectionwith
reviews written specificallyfor inclusionin
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Laurel®TM 674623, Dell PublishingCo.,Inc.
PrintedintheUnite—dStatesofAmerica
Firstprinting ^April 1971
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Plate 1. The Parson Capen House (1683). Topsfield, Massachusetts.
WayneAndrewsPhoto.
Plate 2. The John Vassall orLongfellowHouse. Cambridge, Massa-
chusetts. Wayne Andrews Photo.
Plate 3. Ann Pollard (ca. 1721), Unknown Limner. Massachusetts
Historical Society. Boston, Massachusetts.
Plate 4. The Bermuda Group (1729), John Smibert. Yale Univer-
sity Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut. Gift of Isaac Lothrop
of Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Plate 5. Watson and the Shark (1778), John Singleton Copley.
Museum ofFine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts. GiftofMrs. George
Von Lengerke Meyer.
Plate 6. The Boston Massacre (1770), Paul Revere (after Henry
Pelham). American Antiquarian Society. Worcester, Massachusetts.
Plate 7. Thomas Jefferson Monticello (1770-1775; remodeled 1796-
1809) near Charlottesville, Virginia. Wayne Andrews Photo.
Plate 8. George Washington (Athenaeum I), Gilbert Stuart. Cour-
tesy Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts. Lent by the
Boston Athenaeum.
Plate 9. Comedy and Tragedy (1808), WilliamRush. Edwin Forrest
Home, Philadelphia. Photograph courtesy Philadelphia Museum
ofArt.
Plate 10. Trinity Church, Richard Upjohn. New York. Wayne An-
drewsPhoto.
Plate 11, Moonlit Landscape, Washington Allston. Courtesy Mu-
seum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts. Gift of Dr. W. S.
Bigelow.
Plate 12. The GreekSlave (ca, 1847), Hiram Powers.YaleUniversity
Art Gallery, purchase OUve Louise Dann Fund.
Plate 13. Fur Traders Descending the Missouri (1845), George
Caleb Bingham. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Morris K.
Jesup Fund, 1933.
Plate 14. The Oxbow {The Connecticut River near Northampton)
(1846), Thomas Cole. The Metropolitan Museimi of Art. Gift of
Mrs. Russell Sage, 1908.
Plate 15. The Gulf Stream, Winslow Homer. The Metropolitan Mu-
seum of Art, Wolfe Fund, 1906.
Plate 16. The Gross Clinic, Thomas Eakins. Jefferson Medical Col-
lege of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Photograph courtesy Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Plate17. TheBanjoLesson (ca, 1893),HenryOssawaTanner.Hamp-
ton Institute, Hampton, Virginia,
Plate 18. Jonah {ca, 1890), Albert Pinkham Ryder. Courtesy: Na-
tional Collection of Fine Arts, Smithsonian Institution. Gift of
John Gellatly.
Plate 19. Black Lion Wharf, James McNeiU Whistler. Collection of
Platthee 2P0h.ilTardienlipthyiaChMuursche,umHeonfryArtH.obson „R.ich^ard^son. oBoston«, \M>afsac-_
Plastaech2u1s.ettCsa.rsWoan,ynPeiriAenSdcroetwts&PhCoot.o.Building, Louis Henry SuUivan.
Chicago. Wayne Andrews Photo.
PPPlllaaabstttreeeeiug2m22h432t...o-fK/BCnahASocumxakreywcrAahirrtcdthsaea,tGnaFliOGAlgrrleutedrr,eye,nLNw5yeBimucwifenhf,aYGloVooCir,lolknld.Nangee(ec,1wt9i2JcY8ouo)ht,r.nkC^CShlhaoiralln,de.esW,DHh>eaimstusntae.hmyu..MtTAuuhl-^e-
MetropoUtan Museum of Art, The Alfred StiegUtz Collection,
1949
Plate 25. Homage to the Square: Ascending (1953), Josef Albers.
PlaWBtuherict2h6nf.eieyCldhM.uursCcleheuvBmeellalosnfdRAimMnegurisnigec,aunmRaAiorntfy,ANWrite.nwteGYriofrNtki.gohftM(r1s9.17L),omCrshnea^rolMre.Ws
PlaDtteuennd2ne7d.inlTohMaenemtFooearTsyhteoofMfuHPseunerrueymRGeo.fasKMoenollde(re1.m937A)r,t,J,Nace,kw^LYeovrm.ke.frrOo^nm tehx-e
PlaUtneit2e8d. STthaetesBlWiPndABoAtratniPsrtog(r1a9m5.4), Ben Shahn. rT^he ^Rol^anda tF>.
PlaMtuer2d9o.cTkomCoblslteocntieosn,(1W9i4c2h)i,taJaAcrotb MLauwsreeunmc,e.WWichhiittnae,yKManussaes.um of
PlaAtmee3r0i.caJnohAnrt.Brown Going to HisHanging (1942^)., ^H^orace nP-ippi•n.
Courtesy Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia,
PlaPteenns31y.lvaChnriias.tina's World (1948), Andrew Wyeth.. C^ol«lecU•on ofr
The Museum of Modem Art, New York. Purchase.
Plate 32. Autumn Rhythm (1950), Jackson Pollock. The MetropoU-
tan Museum of Art, George A. Heam Fund, 1957.
Plate 33. Painting #7 (1952), Franz Kline. The Solomon R. Guggen-
Plahteeim34M.uMsaeruiml,ynNMeownrYoorek.(1954), Willem de Koonm,g. C^ol„lec.U•on
of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Neuberger, New York. Photo courtesy Sid-
Planteey3J5a.niMsoGnaollgerrya,mN(e1w959Y)o,rkR.obert Rauschenberg. Modema Mu-
Plasteeet,36S.to1c0k0hoClamn.s (1962), Andy Warhol. Albn.gh,t-.K.nox Aar_t. G^ali-
lery, Buffalo, New York. Gift of Seymour H. Knox.
Plate 37. Plus Reversed (1960), Richard Anuszkiewicz. The Miche-
ner Collection, The University of Texas, Austin, Texas.
Plate 38. Mantegna at Eremitani (1952), Leonard Baskin. Phila-
delphia Museum of Art: Print Club Permanent Collection.
Plate 39. Standing Woman, Gaston Lachaise. Whitney Museum of
AmericanArt.
Plate 40. Sacrifice, Jacques Lipchitz. Albright-Knox Art Gallery,
Buffalo,NewYork.
Plate 41. Lobster Trap and Fish Tail (1939), Alexander Calder.
CoUection, The Museum of Modem Art, New York. Gift of the
AdvisoryCommittee.