DanielLambert EarlyAmericanArt 2December2010

TheComfortofPaintedLand AlbertBierstadtsAStormintheRockyMountains,Mt.Rosalie,andMartinJohnstonHeades SunlightandShadow:TheNewburyMarsheshaveagreatdealincommononasuperficiallevel.Thetwo paintingswerebothcreatedinoiloncanvas,bothdepicttheAmericanlandscape,bothuseland,weather,and narrativetocreateastrongandspecificemotionaltone,andthetwoareseparatedfromeachotherintimeby lessthantenyears.Theyevenserveasimilarnationalagenda,thoughtheydosoinverydifferentways.Both paintingswereintendedtocomforttheAmericanpublicintimesofturmoil,butTheNewburyMarshesdoesso throughthetranquilityofNewEngland,andMt.Rosaliespeaksthroughthewildpoweroftheuncivilized AmericanWest. Aslandscapepaintings,themostobviouscriteriaforcomparisonbetweenthetwoisthedifference betweenhowthelanditselfisrepresentedineachimage.InHeadeswork,theterrainiscomposedalmost entirelyofhorizontalshapes.Afewrollinghillsarethelandscapesmostdramaticfeature,thoughthatadjective barelyseemstofit.Greenmarshlandstretchesoutbeforethehills,dividedbyariverthatweavesthroughthe framesogentlythatonecannotdeterminewhichwayitflows.Themarshesarepunctuatedbyperfectly symmetricaltreesthatappearroundandengorged.Theshapeofthetreesseemstosuggestthatthetranquility ofthelandhasledtofertility.Thelandispaintedinpleasingshadesofgreensandyellow,andthecolorchoices reinforcethecommunicationthatthislandisbothcalmandprosperous. ThevisualharmonyinTheNewburyMarshesisinterruptedonlybyatreeintheforegroundthatshows

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signsofthechaosofunrestrainednature.Thoughgreenandlushatthetop,thebranchesandtrunktwists haphazardlyupfromtheground.Itappearsdisorganizedandunbalancedcomparedtotheotherplantlife behindit.Perhapsthedisorderofthisfigureismeanttoserveasarecordofhowthelandwasbeforeitwas civilized.Thesymmetryandorderoftherestoftheimagecommunicates,Thislandistranquil,whilethe twistedtreeintheforegroundchimesin,Butitdidntusetobe. ThetranquilityofthelandinNewburyMarshesismirroredbytheweather.Abovetherollinghillshang rollingclouds.Theyarehighlightedwithalightpinkthatalludestowarmsummerafternoonsaftertheworkof thedayisdone.Perhapsthecloudsbringrain,butitisonlyforthebenefitoftheland,andtheydonotappearto holdanythreat. LiketheenvironmentdepictedinHeadespiece,thenarrativeincludedisoneoftranquility.Thestoryis sominimal,itshardtotellifanythingishappeningatall.Therearecharacters,however,(twocows)andthey areshowndoingsomething,(grazing)sothereissomeslightelementofnarrative.Thiselementservesto reinforcetheideathatthislandisundercontrol.Bothcowsarepicturedwiththeirheadsdown,feastingonthe healthyplantlifethelandoffers.Thelackoffearintheanimalsreactionstotheirsurroundingsservestoclarify justhowpeacefulthislandis. WithnopriorknowledgeofNorthAmerica,onemightfinditdifficulttobelievethatthelandin BierstadtspaintingbelongsonthesamecontinentasthelandinHeadespiece.ThelandscapeinMt.Rosalieis createdalmostexclusivelywithverticalanddiagonallines.Steeppeaksandsharp,rockycragscrashtogether likebrokenglass.Treesgriptheslopeswithdesperationandshownosignsofsymmetryororder.Instark contrasttotheHeadeslazyriver,waterfallspourdowntheBierstadtsterrainandintoahugemountainbasin. Highaboveallofthesedetails,highereventhantheclouds,risesthepeakofMt.Rosalie.Allofthisis composedindramaticshadesofdeepbrownsandbrightyellowsthatemphasizethedramaoftheterrain.

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Thelandflowsupandthroughtheimageandjoinswithmassiveangrycloudshanginginthesky.They twointeractvisuallyasonetumblingshape,lookingsomewhatlikeatidalwaveofearthandstorm.Dark shadowshangunderthecloudsandseemtosuggestthatthestormisabouttoarrive,andthatthesceneisabout tobecomeevenmorechaotic. AdramaticnarrativemirrorsthevisualdramainMt.Rosalie.Intheforegroundoftheimage,horsescan beseenrunningawayfromseveralNativeAmericans.Itcannotbedeterminedexactlywhytheanimalsare running,butitseemslikelythattheywerefrightenedbyaclapofthunderfromthestormrollingin.Thewaythe horsesreacttothelandscapeservesasimilarpurposehereasthecowsdoinHeadeswork.InMt.Rosalie, theanimalsfearreinforcesthenotionthatthelandisfrighteninganduntamed. In1865,whenBierstadtpaintedMt.Rosalie,hedidsoagainstabackdropoffearandanxiety.Two yearsearlier,roughly43,000UnionandConfederatesoldierswerecaptured,woundedorkilledonthefieldsof Gettysburg.ThroughtheworkofphotographerslikeTimothyOSullivan,theAmericapublicwasbeginningto understandthebrutalityofthebattlefieldinwaysthattheyhadnotbefore.Thenationwasfrightenedbythe violencethathaderuptedandworriedabouthowtheenemyfactionscouldproceedasaunifiedwholeafterthe warcametoanend.1 Bierstadtsworkservedasareminderthatthenationwasstillyoungandwild,andcouldallowanew start.ThepeakofMt.RosaliewasatangiblebeaconfortheUnitedStatestofollowasittriedtonavigate throughthebloodyconflictoftheCivilWar.NancyAndersonwritesinthebookAlbertBierstadt:Artand Enterprisethat,AmericanscouldtakecomfortfromunsulliedmountainsandvalleysthatpromisedanEdenic

SoniaBenson,DanielE.BrannenJr.,andRebeccaValentine,UXLEncyclopediaofU.S.History(Detroit: UXL,2009),s.v."BattleofGettysburg,"GALE|CX3048900060(accessedDecember2,2010).

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settingforthenewbeginning.InthefaceofthebrutalityofCivilWarbattlefields,Bierstadtspaintingservedas areminderthatthenationwasyoung,thelandwasuntamed,andthattherewashopeforafreshstart.2 MartinJohnsonHeadesNewburyMarsheswaspaintedafewyearsafterMt.Rosalie.Duringthe CivilWar,theUnitedStatesgovernmenthadissuedcurrencybackedwithcreditinsteadofwithgold.Afterthe war,theplanwastoreplacethecreditbasedcurrencywithgoldbasedcurrency.Thetransitiondidnotgo smoothly,however,andtheUnitedStateseconomyfelldramatically,paralyzingbusinessesandthrowingthe UnitedStatesintoaneconomicdepression3. JustaswithBierstadtspainting,Headesworkwascreatedwhenthenationwasafraid.TheAmerican publicmayhavefearedthattheCivilWarhaddealtthenationadeathblow,andthatthepossibilityofeconomic prosperityhadslippedaway.Headesworkrespondedtothisturmoilbyremindingviewersofthetranquilityof NewEnglandandofthegreataccomplishmentthatallowedthatpeacetoexist.NewburyMarshesstates clearlythattheEasternUnitedStatesisaplaceofpeaceandprosperity,andthatitbecamethatwaythroughthe hardworkofUnitedStatescitizens.Itwasoncechaotic,andtheAmericanpublictamedit.Bierstadtswork servesasareminderofstrugglesthatthenationhadovercomeinthepastandencouragementforconflictinthe future. Attheircore,BierstadtsAStormintheRockyMountains,Mt.Rosalie,andMartinJohnston HeadesSunlightandShadow:TheNewburyMarshesarepaintingsaboutreassurance.Bothwerecreatedat

NancyKAndersonandLindaSFerber,AlbertBierstadt:Art&Enterprise(NewYork,NY:HudsonHills Press,1990),8485.

SoniaBenson,DanielE.BrannenJr.,andRebeccaValentine,UXLEncyclopediaofU.S.History(Detroit: UXL,2009),s.v."BlackFriday,"GALE|CX3048900075(accessedDecember2,2010).

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momentswhentheUnitedStateswasatriskoflosingitselfamidfrighteningevents.Mt.Rosalierespondstothe horrorofwarthroughareminderthatthenationisstillyoungandcanstartanew.NewburyMarshesreminds theviewerthat,whilethenationmaynothavebeenonsurefootingatthetime,ithadovercomehardshipbefore, andwillcontinuetodoso.Bothpaintingspointtowardthefutureandprovidehopeforastrugglingnation.

MartinJohnsonHeade,SunlightandShadow:TheNewburyMarshes,c.187175,Oiloncanvas,12x26.5 in.

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AlbertBierstadt, AStormintheRockyMountains,Mt.Rosalie, 1866,oiloncanvas,83x142in.

WorksCited

Anderson,NancyK,andLindaSFerber.AlbertBierstadt:Art&Enterprise.,8490.NewYork,NY: HudsonHillsPress,1990.

Benson,Sonia,DanielE.Brannen,Jr.,andRebeccaValentine.UXLEncyclopediaofU.S.History.Detroit: UXL,2009.S.v."BlackFriday. http://ic.galegroup.com.ezproxy.massart.edu/ic/uhic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ ReferenceDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=K12Reference&prodId=UHIC&action=e&windowst

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ate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE|CX3048900075&mode=view(accessedDecember2, 2010).

Benson,Sonia,DanielE.Brannen,Jr.,andRebeccaValentine.UXLEncyclopediaofU.S.History.Detroit: UXL,2009.S.v."BattleofGettysburg, http://ic.galegroup.com.ezproxy.massart.edu/ic/uhic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?di splayGroupName=K12Reference&prodId=UHIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&docum entId=GALE|CX3048900060&mode=view(accessedDecember2,2010).

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