American Art: Westward Movement
"Now painting is different. It's something recollected in tranquility" - Jack Levine, 1910
American Progress, John Gast 1872
American Progress, painted by John Gast, is a forerunner exemplar of the American expansion of western America. As depicted by the artwork, many people -- farmers, business men, and pioneers -- began expanding western as a result of American progress in expansion. This painting, less historical in content than symbolic in approach, illustrates the changing atmosphere in western United States. On the left corner depicts the Indian tribes running away from the panel-- illustrating the further impressment of Indians by further pushing them off of their native lands for American expansion. The array of wagons and men depicts the new arrival of immigrants coming to the west for work as a result of expanded technology in the east. The elegant yet bold goddess of progress depicted overhead is holding part of a telephone line, symbolically illustrating America’s expansion from the eastern hemisphere now being pulled to the west. This painting glorifies the west as something of natural beauty; ironically, the expansion into the west was one of the most toughest journeys for common civilians. This painting was often reproduced and given to people of all sorts as means of advertising for commoners to move to the west.
The 4th Troopers Moving, Frederic Remington
The 4th Troopers Moving, painted by Frederic Remington romanticizes the cowboy adventures of the west. Remington was a forerunner in the romanticism of western art. Continually painting exemplar scenes of romanticized western nature, cowboys, and horses, Remington quickly became one of the most famous artists of his time. Cowboys were often romanticized by characters into free-spirited, bold, and adventurous men of the west who conquered the natural terrain of the west. This myth of the adventurous cowboy largely diverges from actuality. Cowboys were often people with the most laborious jobs in the west-- waking up at early dawn, being low-paid, the laborious physical needs of his job, the loneliness, and emotional discomfort, were just some of the characteristics that cowboys endured in their survival in the west. However, due to artists as Remington, cowboys were most often depicted as bold and adventurous heroes.
Held Up by Buffalo, Newbold Trotter
Held Up By Buffalo, painted by N.H. Trotter, depicts the decimation in buffaloes of western America. The buffaloes of the west drastically declined in numbers as a result of many factors. The presence of people and the distortion of open fields ultimately led to a decrease in the number of buffaloes, along with the hunting of them as a sport. The slaughtering of buffaloes was also carried out by technological ways, as this painting depicts, the slaughtering of buffaloes through train crashes and people shooting buffaloes from the train. The decimation of buffaloes, due to the expansion of Americans, also created problems for the Native Americans living in the area. Buffaloes were the principal source of livelihood for many Native Americans, and so by decreasing the number of buffaloes, Indian Americans were also facing problems with lower yields of food, clothing, and shelter. Ultimately, over 15 million buffaloes had been lost by 1865-- a startling number.
Additional Resources
Check Out These Videos For More Westward Expansion Arthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_89QJAg3NKo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqZrjFJb8JY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrkAZf3vIA8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqZrjFJb8JY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrkAZf3vIA8