American Art: Industrialization & Gilded Age
"One can't paint New York as it is, but rather as it is felt" - Georgia O'Keeffe, 1887
Smelting Works at Denver, Thomas Moran 1892
Smelting Works At Denver, painted by Thomas Moran, is the illustration of industrial America following the Civil War and western expansion. American drastically changed as a result of industrial supremacy-- the environments changed from western landscapes into industry dominated buildings. Industries for a plethora of devices and acquisitions sparked up all over America as a result of new technologies and easier transportation. Henry Ford was the forerunner in industrial technology, creating the first ever assembly line to allow for more efficient industrial employment. Similarly, the Taylorism model also helped by prospering more work to be done in a shorter amount of time. With the result of higher work efficiency of employees, industries ignited a new chain of workforces, taking away from the colonial ‘crafts’ and now creating modern, mechanized, and repetitive items. Industrial America not only shaped America in terms of economical and political sectors, but instead also shaped America’s environment. Inevitably, the industrial supremacy of America was charged with a bold and vigorous campaign for the expansion of political, social, economical, and environmental position for civilians across the world.
Afternoon Tea Party, Mary Cassatt 1890
The Gilded Age, coined by Mark Twain, believed in the philosophy of a thin layer of exorbitant gold suppressing the political and social problems of the late 19th century. As depicted by this piece, Mary Cassatt symbolically illustrates the notion and time period of the Gilded Age. The Afternoon Tea Party is painted in an environment that is fully decorated and glorified by two highly intricate dressed up women signifying the ‘gold’ of the elite class of America. Many women during the Gilded Age accessed menial jobs, however, elite women as depicted were often the wives of wealthy political and social men. The brown variances hinted with gold are symbolic for the gilded age and the pressing economic values of the present environment. Women as depicted were often married rich and were focused on the new atmospheres of department stores and chain stores shopping. Women as depicted were also focused with the new spaces of environments such as parks, movies, operas, and theaters.
Shop Girls, William Glackens 1900
The Ashcan School of Art was in part brought by the pressing social factors of industrial America on the livelihood of Americans. The Ashcan School of Art focused on painting the realities of America and the naturalism of the environment endowed by industrial supremacy. As a result, many of the Ashcan School paintings were often dark, dreary, depressed, and vividly real in subject. Glorified Ashcan School painter Glackens painted Shop Girls as means illustrating the compressed and darkness of the environment in cities. This portrayal of women in their social sphere is a realistic depiction of American society during the 1900’s. The darkness of the entirety of the painting is illustrates the crowdedness and environmental impacts of the city as a result of new industries. Similarly, the plethora of women crowded around each other illustrates the daily activities of most of the well off women in the 1900’s -- shopping.
Additional Resources
Check Out This Videos For More Industrialization & Gilded Age Art
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