THE TIMES
THE ARTIST
Asher B. Durand (1796-1886) American Landscape Painter
Native American cultures preserved the natural American landscape. Their way of life did not disturb or reshape the land. In the 1800’s the American West remained an untamed wilderness. In 1803, the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France. This land deal doubled the size of the United States and the westward expansion began. As explorers and settlers traveled west, they were awed by valleys, natural streams, waterfalls, and a vast variety of wildlife. Large mountains seemed to stretch upward to the heavens and trees spread out to the horizon in every direction. These sites inspired the Hudson River School painters. Artists like Thomas Cole, Albert Bierstadt, Asher Durand, and others soon became the heroes of the time as they brought back views of this vast new land to an eager audience in the East. “The landscape tradition brought an elevated status to artists, essentially because of the religious connotations of the subject matter” (Wright 40). Many of these artists recognized God as the creator of such magnificent sights and felt they had a moral duty to make the sites visible to those who could not travel to see the sites first hand. Americans were so fascinated by the beauty of the land that they began to preserve it. Today, we recognize this preservation in National Parks. Perhaps you can explore a National Park near you.
Like many artists of his time, Asher Durand began his training as an etcher. The etching process uses lines and tonal values to produce an image. Detail is important. Durand was fascinated with textured details of trees and masses of foliage. He used these details in his paintings. He believed that students should be outdoors looking at nature to paint, rather thanworking indoorswhile learning techniques from the masters. Durand was a “constant supporter of younger artists, generous with advice and encouragement” (McLanathan 249). Find a place where you can explore plants. Observe nature like the American landscape artists did and then sketch a scene on location. Start by lightly sketching the outlines of the scene. Add pencil marks that show the different textures that you see.
Draw the shapes.
Add the textures.
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