Posts in category: American Art

As a new year begins, quiet and unassuming, the snowdrop is the first to brave the frost. Its pale, nodding blooms pierce the frozen ground, a tender symbol of endurance and renewal. For the start of The Flowers of the Months series, I begin with this delicate herald of January — the Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) — as depicted in the late nineteenth-century Old Judge Cigarettes “Flowers” series, now part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection. This post opens The Flowers of the Months series, a year-long exploration of seasonal blooms as they appear in art, history, and material culture.

These small, chromolithographed cards once came tucked inside cigarette packets, blending commerce and culture in the most unexpected way. Produced by Goodwin & Company in New York, a pioneering tobacco firm active in the late nineteenth century, the Old Judge cards were among the earliest and most artful examples of American advertising ephemera. Founded by George Goodwin, the company was known not only for its popular Old Judge and Gypsy Queen brands but also for its innovative use of collectible trade cards to attract and educate consumers.

The Old Judge cards were more than advertisements; they were miniature works of art. Each one celebrated nature’s beauty through careful color and line, transforming a simple collectible into a pocket-sized lesson in botany and aesthetics. The Snowdrop card captures this perfectly — its soft whites and greens rendered against a wintry blue sky, as if whispering of spring to come.

The Snowdrop itself, Galanthus nivalis, takes its name from the Greek for “milk flower” and the Latin for “of the snow.” Native to Europe and naturalized widely across northern lands, it is among the earliest bulbs to bloom each year. Appearing in January, sometimes through frost and snow, the snowdrop’s slender stems and white petals speak of resilience — fragile in appearance but determined in spirit.

In the language of flowers, beloved in the Victorian era when this card was printed, snowdrops carried meanings of hope, purity, and the promise of renewal. They were tokens of consolation and beginnings — the first sign that light would soon return after the long winter nights. In literature, too, they appear as symbols of endurance and gentle courage. To hold a snowdrop is to hold a small promise: that beauty persists even in hardship.

The Old Judge “Flowers” series reminds us that art and advertising have long been intertwined, teaching and delighting in equal measure. Each card, now preserved in museum collections, connects us to a moment when art found its way into everyday life — not on gallery walls, but in the hands of ordinary people. Through these small images, the love of flowers, seasons, and symbolism bloomed anew.

As January unfolds, the Snowdrop invites us to begin softly, to find strength in quiet persistence, and to look forward to the gentle unfolding of the year ahead.

For a PowerPoint Presentation, titled ‘2026 – 12 Months – 12 Flowers’, please… Click HERE!

Bibliography: from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/400559

As Thanksgiving 2025 arrives, we find ourselves drawn to the timeless spirit captured in Doris Lee’s Thanksgiving, a scene brimming with bustling energy, warmth, and the quiet poetry of togetherness. In her painting, every gesture, every swirl of flour, becomes an act of love and gratitude, reminding us that celebration lives in the small, shared moments of preparation and care. As we gather around our own tables this year, we can reflect on that same sense of unity and joy, where the heart of the holiday lies not in perfection, but in presence: Laughter warms the room, / Flour dusts the afternoon light / Hands share simple joy. Let’s explore 5 interesting Facts about Thanksgiving by Doris Lee

1. Created in 1935
Doris Lee painted Thanksgiving in 1935, a period marked by the Great Depression’s widespread economic hardship. During this era, many American artists turned their focus toward scenes of everyday life as a source of comfort and cultural pride. Lee’s choice to depict an ordinary family preparing for a holiday meal reflected a longing for stability, community, and tradition at a time when many families faced uncertainty. Her vibrant composition and affectionate portrayal of domestic bustle offered a hopeful vision of togetherness amidst national struggle.

2. Award-Winning Work
When Thanksgiving debuted at the Art Institute of Chicago’s annual exhibition in 1935, it won the Logan Purchase Prize, one of the most prestigious art awards in the country at the time. This recognition instantly elevated Lee’s reputation and placed her among the leading figures of American art in the 1930s. The award not only validated her artistic vision but also helped establish her as a key voice within the American Scene movement, especially as a woman artist working in a field still dominated by men.

3. Depiction of Domestic Life
Lee’s painting captures a bustling kitchen filled with figures engaged in the joyful chaos of preparing a holiday meal. From kneading dough to stirring pots, each gesture contributes to the communal energy that defines the scene. Unlike traditional depictions of idealized domestic order, Lee celebrates the humor and humanity of family life, the mess, the chatter, and the warmth. Her portrayal honors the often-overlooked labor and connection that make such gatherings meaningful, emphasizing the beauty of ordinary moments shared across generations.

4. American Scene Painting
Thanksgiving exemplifies the ideals of the American Scene, or Regionalist, art movement, which flourished during the 1930s and 1940s. Artists within this movement sought to depict familiar aspects of American life, rural communities, small-town events, and domestic rituals, as a form of cultural storytelling. In contrast to the abstract modernism emerging in Europe, artists like Lee, Grant Wood, and Thomas Hart Benton focused on accessible, narrative-based imagery. Lee’s work, with its charm and human touch, captures both the visual texture and emotional spirit of an America rooted in shared traditions.

5. Controversial Yet Beloved
When first exhibited, Thanksgiving sparked mixed reactions. While audiences were enchanted by its warmth and liveliness, some critics dismissed it as overly sentimental or “naïve.” However, over time, the very qualities that drew criticism, its sincerity, humor, and sense of community, became the reasons it endured as a beloved work of art. Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated as one of Doris Lee’s masterpieces, representing her ability to find artistry in everyday life and to portray the American experience with both honesty and affection.

Doris Lee (1905–1983) was an influential American painter best known for her warm, narrative depictions of everyday life. Born in Aledo, Illinois, she studied art at Rockford College and later in Paris, where she absorbed elements of modern European styles before developing her own distinctly American approach. Lee rose to prominence in the 1930s, particularly after winning the Logan Purchase Prize for her painting Thanksgiving in 1935. Her work reflected the ideals of the American Scene movement, celebrating domestic life, rural traditions, and community spirit with a touch of humor and affection. Throughout her career, Lee’s art evolved from detailed representational scenes to more stylized, colorful compositions influenced by folk art and modernism. She remained an active and respected artist for decades, capturing with grace and warmth the rhythms of ordinary American life.

For a PowerPoint Presentation of Doris Lee oeuvre, please… Check HERE!

Bibliography: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/21727/thanksgiving

November brings the chrysanthemum, recognized in floral tradition as the flower of the month and long celebrated in art and poetry. Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694) captured its quiet beauty in his haiku: Chrysanthemums bloom— / the scent of old age / in the autumn dusk. More than three centuries later, Andy Warhol’s Kiku prints reimagine this iconic flower. In his series of three prints, he transforms the traditional symbol of autumnal reflection into a vibrant, modern meditation on color, repetition, and the persistence of life and memory. Warhol’s chrysanthemums echo the seasonal beauty that Bashō so delicately observed, bridging centuries of artistic contemplation around a single, enduring motif.

In 1983, Warhol was commissioned by Fujio Watanuki, a prominent figure in the Japanese avant-garde and founder of the Gendai Hanga Center in Tokyo, to create a series inspired by the chrysanthemum, or kiku in Japanese. This collaboration marked a significant intersection of Eastern and Western artistic sensibilities. Having previously visited Japan in 1956 and 1974, Warhol was invited to produce a body of work that resonated with Japanese culture, particularly focusing on flowers. The resulting Kiku series comprises three screenprints, each depicting the chrysanthemum in Warhol’s signature pop art style. Unusually small in scale, the prints echo the intimate proportions of Japanese hanging scrolls and screens. Warhol’s screenprinting technique involved layering vibrant colors onto Rives BFK paper, creating dynamic compositions that blend traditional Japanese motifs with his bold, graphic abstraction.

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/spotlight-andy-warhol-chrysanthemum-prints-1991310

Aesthetically, the Kiku prints are a striking fusion of delicate natural imagery and Warhol’s vibrant, modernist approach. Through the use of contrasting colors and layered repetition, the chrysanthemums are transformed into a visual rhythm that is both meditative and contemporary. Each print balances the flower’s elegance with the intensity of modern design, celebrating the chrysanthemum not merely as a botanical subject but as a symbol of cultural exchange, bridging centuries of artistic tradition from Japan to the Western pop art world.

The original prints created for Watanuki are part of a limited edition and are now held in private collections and select galleries worldwide. While not permanently on public display, they occasionally appear in exhibitions and auctions, offering glimpses into Warhol’s engagement with Japanese culture. Institutions such as the Gendai Hanga Center in Tokyo and galleries specializing in Warhol’s work may provide opportunities to experience these intimate yet powerful prints firsthand.

The chrysanthemum holds a special place in Japanese culture as the quintessential flower of autumn, symbolizing longevity, rejuvenation, and the quiet beauty of the season. Its bloom coincides with the cooling of the year, making it a central motif in art, poetry, and seasonal celebrations such as the Chōyō no Sekku (Festival of the Double Ninth) in September. In the West, the chrysanthemum was adopted into the floral calendar as the flower of November, representing respect, honor, and the transitional beauty of late autumn. This cross-cultural recognition highlights the universal appeal of the chrysanthemum’s form and symbolism, linking the seasonal reflections captured in Bashō’s haiku to the modern reinterpretation found in Warhol’s Kiku prints.

Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694) is considered the greatest master of Japanese haiku. He lived during the Edo period and elevated the short poem from a playful literary pastime into a deeply expressive art form. Bashō was born Matsuo Kinsaku in Ueno (now Iga, Japan) and trained in both classical Chinese and Japanese poetry before dedicating himself to haikai (the predecessor of haiku). He lived much of his life as a wandering poet, traveling through Japan on long journeys that inspired his most famous works, such as The Narrow Road to the Deep North (Oku no Hosomichi). His haiku often capture fleeting natural scenes, a frog jumping into an old pond, the sound of cicadas, the stillness of autumn evenings, with profound simplicity. He combined Zen Buddhist awareness, classical elegance, and keen observation of everyday life, making haiku both deeply spiritual and accessible.

For a Student Activity inspired by Ady Warhol’s prints oh Kiku, please… Check HERE!

Bibliography: https://news.artnet.com/art-world/spotlight-andy-warhol-chrysanthemum-prints-1991310 and https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/basho

When I look at Robert Spear Dunning’s Apples, I can’t help but think of Robert Frost’s words… But I am done with apple-picking now. / Essence of winter sleep is on the night, / The scent of apples: I am drowsing off… from After Apple-Picking. The painting, like the poem, holds that quiet pause between abundance and rest, when the harvest is gathered in and time itself seems to slow. Yet it also makes me think about World Food Day, held each year on October 16, when more than 150 countries come together to raise awareness of hunger and poverty. Dunning’s apples, so rich and full, remind me how easily we take such everyday nourishment for granted, and how vital it is that food and beauty alike are shared more widely. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44259/after-apple-picking

Robert Spear Dunning (1829–1905) was an American painter best known as a leading figure of the Fall River School, a circle of artists in Massachusetts devoted to still-life painting. Born in Brunswick, Maine, he studied at the National Academy of Design in New York under Daniel Huntington, where he developed both academic discipline and a meticulous eye for detail. By the late 1850s, Dunning had settled in Fall River, and in 1859 he helped establish the Fall River School, transforming southeastern Massachusetts into an unexpected hub for still-life painting. Over his long career, he exhibited widely and gained recognition for elevating the still life, particularly fruit compositions, into a respected and celebrated genre of American art.

In 1870, Dunning expanded his influence further by co-founding the Fall River Evening Drawing School with fellow artist John E. Grouard. Created to make art education accessible to the city’s working population, many of whom toiled in the textile mills, the school emphasized drawing as the essential foundation for artistic practice. It quickly became a cultural center for aspiring painters and helped solidify the identity of the Fall River School, whose members became known for their luminous and painstakingly detailed still lifes. By offering structured training outside the major urban art centers, the Evening Drawing School broadened the reach of American art education and left a lasting imprint on the cultural life of the region.

Dunning’s aesthetic is marked by clarity, precision, and a refined sense of order. His canvases often feature fruit arranged with deliberate symmetry, their surfaces rendered in luminous detail that balances realism with quiet idealization. Apples, grapes, peaches, and plums are polished to near perfection, often set against dark or neutral backgrounds that heighten their rich colors and tactile presence. This combination of natural abundance and painterly restraint gives his work both elegance and restraint, transforming everyday objects into meditations on beauty, transience, and plenty.

Robert Spear Dunning’s Apples (1869) stands as a quintessential example of American still-life painting in the 19th century, showcasing the artist’s unrivaled precision and luminous treatment of everyday subjects. The composition places apples at the center of attention, their polished surfaces glowing with quiet richness against a subdued background. This balance between meticulous detail and atmospheric harmony reflects Dunning’s mastery of elevating simple fruit into a timeless meditation on abundance and beauty. Works like Apples helped establish the reputation of the Fall River School, positioning Dunning as one of the foremost still-life painters of his generation.

The painting has also enjoyed a distinguished journey through the art world. Originally in a private Massachusetts collection, it was sold at Christie’s New York in 1985, later entering the renowned Manoogian Collection before passing through Michael Altman Fine Art in New York. Its reappearance at Christie’s in January 2025, in the sale American Sublime: Property from an Important Private Collection, confirmed its enduring appeal: estimated at $100,000–150,000, Apples realized $100,800. Both as a work of art and as an object of collecting, Dunning’s Apples remains a striking testament to the lasting value of beauty captured with honesty and care.

Just as Robert Frost’s apple-picking drifts toward sleep, Robert Spear Dunning’s Apples seems to pause time, the fruit perfectly gathered, yet on the verge of passing. It’s a reminder that the beauty of harvest is always fleeting, and that food, so ordinary in appearance, is in fact precious. On World Food Day, as nations unite to face hunger and poverty, this simple still life becomes more than art: it becomes a quiet call to gratitude, and to generosity.

For a PowerPoint Presentation of Robert Spear Dunning’s oeuvre, please… Check HERE!

Bibliography: https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6519615?ldp_breadcrumb=back and https://www.godelfineart.com/artists/robert-spear-dunning

As the golden light of summer begins its slow retreat, John George Brown’s Sunshine offers a final, tender embrace of those lingering warm rays. With its lyrical depiction of Victorian leisure, the oil-on-canvas scene captures a young woman bathed in radiant light, an atmosphere that echoes the fading warmth of long, sun-drenched days. Through ‘brilliant light, casual composition, and broad technique,’ Brown evokes both the romantic freedom and gentle nostalgia of the season, recalling the delicate balance between exuberance and quiet reflection. As we bid adieu to summer’s glow, Sunshine becomes more than a visual reverie, it’s a timeless farewell, a glowing testament to moments that warm us before they fade.

Beyond its seasonal resonance, John George Brown’s Sunshine exemplifies the artist’s broader role in shaping American genre painting during the Gilded Age. Though Brown is most often celebrated for his sympathetic portrayals of New York’s working-class children, this work demonstrates his ability to adapt genre traditions toward more idealized, pastoral subjects. Painted at a moment when American collectors were increasingly drawn to images of leisure and natural light, Sunshine reflects both Victorian tastes and the transatlantic influence of European Realism. Its luminous treatment of the figure, suffused with warmth, captures not only the immediacy of a passing season but also the cultural desire to preserve beauty and repose in an era marked by rapid urban and industrial transformation.

John George Brown (1831–1913) was an English-born American painter whose career epitomized the rise of genre painting in the United States during the late 19th century. Trained at the Newcastle-on-Tyne School of Design and later at the Trustees’ Academy in Edinburgh, Brown immigrated to New York in 1853, where he continued his studies at the National Academy of Design. Settling in a rapidly industrializing city, he soon gained recognition for his sympathetic yet idealized depictions of street urchins, bootblacks, and newspaper boys, subjects that resonated with both middle-class sentiment and a growing market for accessible, narrative art.

Over the course of his career, John George Brown became one of the most commercially successful and widely collected American artists of his generation. Elected a full Academician of the National Academy of Design in 1861, he exhibited regularly at major venues, including the Brooklyn Art Association and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. His sympathetic depictions of New York’s street children, bootblacks, newsboys, and flower sellers, proved especially popular, combining technical polish with moral uplift in ways that resonated deeply with middle-class audiences. Frequently reproduced in engravings and widely circulated prints, these works extended his reach beyond elite collectors, making Brown a household name and helping to shape the visual culture of the Gilded Age. While some critics dismissed his art as overly sentimental, his keen eye for character and his ability to elevate humble subjects into enduring images of resilience secured his place in American art history.

Yet Sunshine reveals another, often overlooked facet of Brown’s career: his turn toward more pastoral and idealized visions. In contrast to the grit and industriousness of his urban street children, the painting presents a figure suffused with warmth and leisure, bathed in radiant light. This departure demonstrates not only Brown’s versatility as a genre painter but also his sensitivity to the shifting tastes of his audience. At a time when collectors increasingly sought images of repose and natural beauty, Sunshine offered a vision of serenity and seasonal transience, echoing both Victorian ideals of leisure and the transatlantic influence of European Realism. Whereas his street children embodied perseverance amid hardship, here Brown captures a more reflective mood, an image less about survival and more about savoring a fleeting moment, marking his ability to balance sentiment with subtle lyricism.

By capturing this delicate interplay between seasonal reflection and artistic innovation, Sunshine not only broadened the scope of American genre painting but also exemplifies Brown’s responsiveness to the evolving tastes of Gilded Age collectors. The work stands as a testament to his enduring versatility, balancing sentiment and refinement while securing his place among the most celebrated figures of nineteenth-century American art.

For a PowerPoint Presentation of John George Brown’s oeuvre, please… Check HERE!

Bibliography: https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6519604?ldp_breadcrumb=back and https://www.questroyalfineart.com/artist/john-george-brown/

John Ottis Adams’s In Poppyland, housed in the David Owsley Museum of Art captures the lush, dreamlike essence of a summer landscape steeped in both beauty and symbolism. With sweeping fields awash in crimson poppies, Adams evokes the mood of late summer, specifically August, the month associated with the poppy flower, known for its ties to both sleep and remembrance. The visual poetry of the scene finds a perfect echo in Antonio Bertolucci’s evocative verse… This is a year of poppies: our land / was brimming with them as May burned / into June and I returned— / a sweet dark wine that made me drunk. / From clouds of mulberry to grains to grasses / ripeness was all, in the fitting / heat, in the slow drowsiness spreading / through the universe of green… Like the poem, Adams’s painting invites us into a world suspended between wakefulness and reverie, where nature overflows with color, warmth, and memory. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/54223/poppies

A prominent American Impressionist painter and key figure in the Hoosier Group, John Ottis Adams (1851–1927) was part of a collective of Indiana-based artists who helped shape Midwestern landscape painting in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Indiana, Adams studied art in London at the South Kensington School and later in Munich at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, where he developed a solid foundation in academic realism. His time in Munich was formative, exposing him to rigorous training and a circle of fellow American expatriate artists. Upon returning to the United States, he settled in Indiana, where he dedicated much of his career to capturing the natural beauty of his home state. Adams was not only a painter but also a passionate educator, co-founding the Herron School of Art in Indianapolis and influencing generations of young American artists. He was married to Winifred Brady Adams, an accomplished still-life and portrait painter, and their shared artistic vision helped foster a creative environment that extended from their personal lives to the broader Indiana art community.

Aesthetically, Adams embraced a style that blended academic technique with Impressionist sensibilities, using light and color to evoke mood and atmosphere rather than strict realism. His landscapes often feature quiet riverbanks, pastoral meadows, and changing skies, rendered with loose, expressive brushwork and a harmonious palette that reflect his deep appreciation for nature’s subtleties. Adams’s compositions favor balance and serenity, drawing the viewer into meditative encounters with the natural world. In paintings like In Poppyland, he captured not just the visual essence of a place but its emotional resonance—offering scenes that feel both immediate and timeless, rooted in observation but elevated by poetic interpretation.

The painting In Poppyland is a luminous celebration of the American landscape, blending Impressionist technique with a deep, personal connection to nature. It presents a vivid field of blooming poppies under a bright summer sky, rendered with loose, expressive brushwork and a vibrant palette of reds, greens, and soft blues. Adams captures not only the visual richness of the scene but also its atmosphere, warm, drowsy, and gently swaying with life, inviting viewers into a moment of seasonal abundance and reverie. Created during a period when Adams spent time painting in rural Indiana and abroad, In Poppyland reflects both his European training and his commitment to elevating the native Midwest as a worthy subject of high art. The composition’s gentle rhythm and immersive color evoke a sense of timeless beauty, where nature’s quiet grandeur speaks through light, texture, and mood.

Poppies have always held a special kind of magic, bright, delicate, and full of meaning. In ancient Greek and Roman myths, they symbolized sleep, dreams, and even remembrance, and their vivid presence has continued to inspire artists through the ages. Adams’s In Poppyland, brings that symbolism to life in a way that feels both timeless and deeply personal. The painting draws us into a peaceful summer moment, filled with warmth, color, and quiet reflection. It reminds us how nature can speak to the heart, and how something as simple as a field of flowers can carry stories, memories, and beauty that stay with us long after we’ve looked away.

For a PowerPoint Presentation on John Ottis Adams’s oeuvre, please… Check HERE!

Bibliography: https://www.bsu.edu/web/museumofart/exhibitions/past#accordion_summer2019 and https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/john-ottis-adams/m0276lmv?hl=en

Since my arrival I have done nothing but wander about the streets & I have done no work as yet. Venice is all, & more, than the travelers have reported of it. It is wonderful. I shall make no attempt at description but will tell you all when I get back… wrote Thomas Moran to his wife Mary from the Grand Hotel in Venice in May 1886. These words capture the sense of awe that the city inspired in the American artist, and they resonate deeply in his 1903 painting Grand Canal, Venice. Now held in a private collection, the work distills Moran’s wonder into luminous color and atmospheric depth, offering not a literal depiction, but a poetic impression shaped by memory and reverence. This blog post explores how Moran’s Venetian experience, as conveyed in both word and image, invites us into a vision where travel, beauty, and art converge.

Thomas Moran (1837–1926) was a British-born American painter and printmaker celebrated, primarily, for his dramatic landscapes of the American West. Emigrating with his family to the United States as a child, Moran began his artistic career in Philadelphia, where he trained as a wood engraver and painter. His early exposure to the Hudson River School deeply influenced his style, particularly its emphasis on sublime natural beauty. Moran gained national fame in the 1870s after joining the Hayden Geological Survey to Yellowstone, where his sketches helped convince Congress to designate the area as the first national park. Over his career, Moran traveled widely, capturing not only the grandeur of the American frontier but also the romantic scenery of Europe, including Venice, which became a recurring subject in his later work.

Aesthetically, Moran’s paintings blend realism with a luminous romanticism, using bold color, atmospheric effects, and sweeping compositions to evoke both the physical majesty and emotional power of the landscape. Influenced by British artist J.M.W. Turner, Moran often used light and shadow to create a sense of transcendence, turning natural scenes into visual poetry. His works are less concerned with topographical accuracy than with capturing an idealized vision of nature—vast, untamed, and awe-inspiring. In his Venetian subjects, such as Grand Canal, Venice (1903), Moran translated this approach to an urban setting, bathing the architecture and waterways in golden light and shimmering detail, imbuing the city with the same sense of wonder he found in the American wilderness.

Thomas Moran’s relationship with Venice was rooted in his broader passion for travel and the romantic allure of historic European cities. He first visited Venice in the 1880s, a period when many American artists sought inspiration abroad. In May 1886, writing to his wife Mary from the Grand Hotel, Moran expressed a profound sense of wonder, admitting he had done no work, only wandered the streets, overwhelmed by the city’s beauty. Venice captivated him with its interplay of light, water, and architecture, elements perfectly suited to his painterly style. The city became a recurring subject in his work, not for documentary precision but for its atmospheric potential. Moran returned to Venice multiple times, translating his impressions into luminous compositions like Grand Canal, Venice (1903), where the city’s grandeur is filtered through a lens of memory, mood, and artistic reverence.

For a PowerPoint Presentation on Thomas Moran and Venice, please… Check HERE!

Bibliography: https://americanart.si.edu/blog/sargent-whistler-venice and https://thomas-moran.org/