The Gilded Age in America
Gallery 3
After the Civil War, industrialization boomed, creating a wealthy upper class who wanted their homes filled with examples of good taste and the finer life. During this period, American artists, like the rest of American society, flourished within this boom atmosphere. After two generations of believing that art education was just as good in America as in Europe, American artists chose to hone their skills and to learn European finish in the academies and art schools of Paris and Germany.
Soon American artists were less interested in representing their native landscape than in adopting contemporary European styles—academicism, realism, and impressionism. Eventually art that told a story became the specialized focus of illustration artists who created images for books and periodical publications. Some artists followed the aesthetic belief that art no longer needed to tell a story or represent an ideology; instead, it could be appreciated for its own sake. Other artists applied their skills to a broad variety of art forms from painting to the design of stained glass windows.
By the turn of the 20th century, American arts encompassed the decorative arts (ceramics, furniture, glass, textiles, and metal work) in addition to painting, sculpture, and print making. |
