Assignment 5
Assignment 5 – Art and Abolition
By: Joshua Cardinale
Land of the Lotus Eaters – Robert S. Duncanson
There are several artist and paintings in the Sharon Patton book. To choose one particular landscape painting would be tough. Moreover, in choosing this painting and discussing why I think black artists may have used these landscape paintings as a means of expression during the abolitionist movement can be possible to do so. Within several of these landscape paintings, I do believe that I see possible hidden messages. An important topic in question would be if these particular artists during the abolitionist movement simply avoided the grim realities of slavery in America or not. The one that I believe hits all of these angles would be the landscape painting Land of the Lotus Eaters by Robert S. Duncanson.
I truly enjoyed the paintings of Robert S. Duncanson. To me, Duncanson’s landscape paintings are powerfully attractive to the eye. I find it interesting that he taught himself about art. He did this by lots of studying and copying engravings of famous European paintings. Before long, he was titled the best landscape painter in the west and being the first black to receive international recognition. Duncanson’s first large income came from Nicholas Longworth, who of this time was one of the most wealthiest entrepreneurs in the country and known as one of the most prominent are patrons and abolitionists. Duncanson’s eight murals were rediscovered in the early 1900’s, which were mostly in the style of Hudson River School. Which is a label that was used since the late 1800’s that signifies a group of artists who specialized in landscape paintings. Out of Duncanson’s rediscovered paintings, I liked the salon painting (large-scale history paintings) of Land of the Lotus Eaters from 1861. This was the work that ultimately earned him international fame. This landscape painting portrays a panoramic view of lush tropical land overgrown with delicately rendered exotic
By: Joshua Cardinale
Land of the Lotus Eaters – Robert S. Duncanson
There are several artist and paintings in the Sharon Patton book. To choose one particular landscape painting would be tough. Moreover, in choosing this painting and discussing why I think black artists may have used these landscape paintings as a means of expression during the abolitionist movement can be possible to do so. Within several of these landscape paintings, I do believe that I see possible hidden messages. An important topic in question would be if these particular artists during the abolitionist movement simply avoided the grim realities of slavery in America or not. The one that I believe hits all of these angles would be the landscape painting Land of the Lotus Eaters by Robert S. Duncanson.
I truly enjoyed the paintings of Robert S. Duncanson. To me, Duncanson’s landscape paintings are powerfully attractive to the eye. I find it interesting that he taught himself about art. He did this by lots of studying and copying engravings of famous European paintings. Before long, he was titled the best landscape painter in the west and being the first black to receive international recognition. Duncanson’s first large income came from Nicholas Longworth, who of this time was one of the most wealthiest entrepreneurs in the country and known as one of the most prominent are patrons and abolitionists. Duncanson’s eight murals were rediscovered in the early 1900’s, which were mostly in the style of Hudson River School. Which is a label that was used since the late 1800’s that signifies a group of artists who specialized in landscape paintings. Out of Duncanson’s rediscovered paintings, I liked the salon painting (large-scale history paintings) of Land of the Lotus Eaters from 1861. This was the work that ultimately earned him international fame. This landscape painting portrays a panoramic view of lush tropical land overgrown with delicately rendered exotic