Asher Brown Durand Free Essay Example, 1750 words

The Hudson River School was the first truly American school of painting that was formed of a group of painters active in the 19th century New York. Amongst the other of the group was Asher B. Durand who formed truth-seeking and aesthetically robust landscape scenes of young America and beyond it. It was a time when America was grappling with issues of national identity. His paintings celebrate what was uniquely American and show a country attempting to mark the identity of its own, distinguished from Europe. He was primarily aware that portraiture was not the prime genre in the America of the day nor did it bring as much respect and regard in the artistic circles as landscape painting. He painted big panoramic pictures that carried a message each. His paintings are sublime powerful visions of the American landscape that binds within them the ideology and beliefs that helped the nation during its formative years and shaped its future. Asher Brown Durand s landscape titled A View towa rds the Hudson Valley of the year 1851 helped create a national identity for young America which was much strived for. We will write a custom essay sample on Asher Brown Durand or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page Those paintings embrace the transcendent vistas of the American landscape. They also offer a peek into another phenomenon that attained popularity in the 19th Century which was travel.