Art and the Higher Life

Painting and Evolutionary Thought in Late Nineteenth-Century America

Nonfiction, Art & Architecture, General Art, Art History, American
Cover of the book Art and the Higher Life by Kathleen Pyne, University of Texas Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Kathleen Pyne ISBN: 9780292786042
Publisher: University of Texas Press Publication: July 22, 2010
Imprint: University of Texas Press Language: English
Author: Kathleen Pyne
ISBN: 9780292786042
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Publication: July 22, 2010
Imprint: University of Texas Press
Language: English
Late in the nineteenth century, many Americans were troubled by the theories of Charles Darwin, which contradicted both traditional Christian teachings and the idea of human supremacy over nature, and by an influx of foreign immigrants, who challenged the supremacy of the old Anglo-Saxon elite. In response, many people drew comfort from the theories of philosopher Herbert Spencer, who held that human society inevitably develops towards higher and more spiritual forms. In this illuminating study, Kathleen Pyne explores how Spencer's theories influenced a generation of American artists. She shows how the painters of the 1880s and 1890s, particularly John La Farge, James McNeill Whistler, Thomas Dewing and the Boston school, and the impressionist painters of the Ten, developed an art dedicated to social refinement and spiritual ideals and to defending the Anglo-Saxon elite of which they were members. This linking of visual culture to the problematic conditions of American life radically reinterprets the most important trends in late nineteenth-century American painting.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Late in the nineteenth century, many Americans were troubled by the theories of Charles Darwin, which contradicted both traditional Christian teachings and the idea of human supremacy over nature, and by an influx of foreign immigrants, who challenged the supremacy of the old Anglo-Saxon elite. In response, many people drew comfort from the theories of philosopher Herbert Spencer, who held that human society inevitably develops towards higher and more spiritual forms. In this illuminating study, Kathleen Pyne explores how Spencer's theories influenced a generation of American artists. She shows how the painters of the 1880s and 1890s, particularly John La Farge, James McNeill Whistler, Thomas Dewing and the Boston school, and the impressionist painters of the Ten, developed an art dedicated to social refinement and spiritual ideals and to defending the Anglo-Saxon elite of which they were members. This linking of visual culture to the problematic conditions of American life radically reinterprets the most important trends in late nineteenth-century American painting.

More books from University of Texas Press

Cover of the book Handbook of Middle American Indians, Volumes 7 and 8 by Kathleen Pyne
Cover of the book American Indian Literature and the Southwest by Kathleen Pyne
Cover of the book Freddie Steinmark by Kathleen Pyne
Cover of the book Amigas by Kathleen Pyne
Cover of the book Hend and the Soldiers by Kathleen Pyne
Cover of the book Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands since the First World War by Kathleen Pyne
Cover of the book The Provisional Austrian Regime in Lombardy–Venetia, 1814–1815 by Kathleen Pyne
Cover of the book Prehistory of the Rustler Hills by Kathleen Pyne
Cover of the book The Mythmaker by Kathleen Pyne
Cover of the book Red Hot Mama by Kathleen Pyne
Cover of the book Ritual Humor in Highland Chiapas by Kathleen Pyne
Cover of the book WASP of the Ferry Command by Kathleen Pyne
Cover of the book Joyce's Web by Kathleen Pyne
Cover of the book El Lector by Kathleen Pyne
Cover of the book Pacific Blitzkrieg by Kathleen Pyne
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy