Major American Art Movements at the Taft

Edward Hopper, Nighthawks, 1942

John Singer Sarget, Man in a Pool, Florida, 1917

Winslow Homer, In the Jungle, Florida, 1904

The Taft has been a staple for old, great art since 1932. It is no surprise, therefore, that they are currently displaying works which represent all of the major American art movements from the late 18th century to 1945. The collection is on loan from the Brooklyn Museum, which is easily one of greatest museums in the country. It reads, in essence, like the first semester of a college western art history survey course. Except this time everything is in watercolor. It features some big names too so even if you don't care for the art, you should go just to say you saw a Homer, a Sargent, or a Hopper.

Hopper, who is a so-called "realist," is an expert at placing covert symbolism in his work without seeming kitschy. His pictures convey the notion that the american landscape is vast but also very lonely. His famous Nighthawks embodies all of the aforementioned principles.

John Singer Sargent is another great. He is most known for his traditional academy-like portraits which sometimes seem impressionistic. He, however, can not be classified as an impressionist or a member of the academy.

Winslow Homer, however, is perhaps my most favorite artist in the show. Homer once said, "You will see, in the future I will live by my watercolors." His legacy within this medium has certainly been influential to artists today. They art loose, free, and spontaneous in appearance. His watercolors lack a clear narrative and present an excellent opportunity for speculation and discussion.

If anything, this show is worth seeing because it a.) encompases artists who represent every major movement of art before modernism and b.) it avoids the typical, tradition oil on canvas. By viewing so many works in a medium that is often overlooked and underestimated, it allows one to cultivate both a greater appreciation for works in watercolor and a more complete understanding of the artists themselves.

http://www.taftmuseum.org/