American Art

To see our full collection of
American Art,

Currently Featured: Winslow Homer Prints.

The history of American art, while comparatively short, is full of stylistic leaps and bounds, much like all aspects of American culture. In the United States’ first century of existence, the art produced was either embryonic in nature or nonexistent. It wasn’t until the mid-to-late 1800s that the art world began to sit up and take notice of American art.

The Hudson River school (approx. 1825 to 1875) was the first truly characteristic movement in American art, and with its inception, America’s place on the cultural landscape became firmly cemented. The Hudson River school was a loose collective of painters on the east coast who were inspired to paint landscapes. They believed that by capturing the essence of the majestically beautiful American countryside they were encapsulating the very ideals of America herself. At Digital Picture Printing & Frames we have a large collection of works from this movement. If you are interested in learning more about this pioneering school of art, please visit our page devoted to the Hudson River school.

Attempting to catch the essence or spirit of “America” was a major theme of American art in the 1800s. This is not surprising when you consider that America was still very much a developing country at this point. The concept of a frontier to explore coupled with the as-of-yet still unspoiled lands that filled the continent inspired many artists of the time. Perhaps because of the newness of this American ideal, the paintings from this period are done in a very realistic (sometimes almost photorealistic) style, whether they are portraits, landscapes, crowd scenes, or still life. It is almost as though in attempting to capture America, painters of the time felt the need to paint what they saw as clearly as possible and without any interpolation, although there is an emphasis on the beauty of nature and the adventurous spirit of the west.

Two particularly notable painters who painted western-themed pieces were Frederic Remington and Charles Russell. While they have similar subject matter, their styles and backgrounds are markedly different.

Frederic Remington (1861-1909) was educated in art at Yale and lived primarily on the east coast during his life. His most notable paintings were created during the period when his compositions were set after dusk; before this point in his career, western paintings were considered passé in the New York art world. Once he began experimenting with the quality of light found in night scenes his work began getting the recognition it deserved, and he was anointed as one of the first great masters of American art.

Charles Russell (1864-1926) was an incredibly prolific painter, illustrator, and writer during his lifetime. He moved to Montana at the age of sixteen and soon after began working as a cattle wrangler. Living as a cowboy was a lifetime dream of Russell’s, most likely because the lifestyle lent itself well to his avowed love of nature. While he worked as a cowboy he spent most of his free time sketching western scenes and, although his drawings were initially crude, this self-taught artist swiftly gained proficiency.  After his career as a cowboy ended, he moved to New York - with the encouragement of his wife - and within a few years his work was showing in galleries in New York and eventually London.

These artists and the others found in our collection all celebrate the lyrical beauty of early America and the west. Of course, their subject matter is not limited to only western subjects or landscapes; when browsing our site you will find a multitudinous variety of classic American art prints of all subjects that will tastefully adorn your walls and be cherished for years to come.

Jeff James, 2004