Arts, Literature, and Culture American Cultural Landscape

John James Audubon American Painter Birds of America

Big Picture Question BPQ: In what ways did artists express their reactions to problems and changes within society? Objective Identify the common themes and describe the flowering of American literature and art in the mid-1800s. Discuss the development of unique American styles in art, literature, and music.

Catskill mountains

Last of the Mohicans

Distant View of Niagara falls

Painting Themes What are some common themes you saw in the paintings? Small People along a backdrop of larger than life Nature. Expansive landscapes Nature scenes Vivid color schemes

Hudson River School and Landscapes After 1820, American artists turned away from European themes and focused on American landscapes. The Hudson River School was a group of artists who painted landscape scenes of the Hudson River valley. Hudson River School artists sought to stir emotions with the beauty of nature.

Landscapes of America What do you think these paintings are reactions to? Industrialization Urbanization Westward Expansion- Disappearing beauty

Literature: Uniquely American Prior to 1820, many American writers were inspired by European styles of writing. After 1820, American writers began to create works that were uniquely American. Early writers include: Wadsworth Longfellow- “Paul Revere’s Ride” and “The Song of Hiawatha” (Idealized Stories) John Whittier and Frances Harper- Abolitionists writers Walt Whitman- Leaves of Grass (Celebrates Common People) Washington Irving- The Sketch Book (Rip Van Wrinkle) James Cooper- The Last of the Mohicans (Idealized Native American relations and Frontiersman) Latter Writers include: Nathaniel Hawthorne- The Scarlet Letter (Puritan life) Herman Melville- Moby-Dick (High emotion- Obsessiveness)

Excerpts: Paul Revere’s Ride “A hurry of hoofs in a village-street, | A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark, |And beneath from the pebbles, in passing, a spark |Struck out by a steed that flies fearless and fleet: |That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light, |The fate of a nation was riding that night; |And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight, |Kindled the land into flame with its heat.”- “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Wadsworth Longfellow Theme: A hyperbolic and idealized retelling of Paul Revere’s ride. Example- “The fate of the nation” places our future on Revere’s fated midnight ride.

Transcendentalism Transcendentalism-A philosophical/Literary movement that believed that the most important truths transcended, or went beyond, human reason. It arose as a reaction to or protest against the general state of society during the Industrial Revolution. Notable transcendentalists include writers Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson.

The Transcendentalists Henry David Thoreau Ralph Waldo Emerson

Themes: Excerpts “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”- Walden by Henry David Thoreau Theme: Living close to nature as simply as possible. Reaction to urbanization and industrialization. "Man is his own star; and the soul that can |Render an honest and a perfect man, |Commands all light, all influence, all fate; |Nothing to him falls early or too late. |Our acts our angels are, or good or ill, |Our fatal shadows that walk by us still.” “Self-Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson Theme: Individualism- Use your inner wisdom to guide your life and improve society.

Thoreau and “Civil Disobedience” Henry David Thoreau believed that each individual had to decide what is right or wrong. Thoreau believed slavery was wrong and protested against it. In one case, he was arrested and placed in jail for not paying his taxes during the Mexican-American War. Thoreau justified his actions in the essay “Civil Disobedience”, where he explains that an individual may feel the need to break laws that are unjust without resorting to violence. The ideas of Civil Disobedience later influenced MLK Jr. and Gandhi.

Theme: Follow your conscience, even if it is against the law or unpopular in society.

American Music American classical music continued to follow European traditions, but new forms of music quickly began spring up across the nation. Early songs were often patriotic or religious such as “Amazing Grace” and “My Country Tis of Thee” Stephen Foster is best known for writing popular songs such as “Dixie” and “Camp town Races” that took inspiration from southern traditions. African-American music in the form of spirituals and work songs mixed with European styles to create Gospel Music. Newly-arrived immigrant groups also brought their own musical traditions that mixed with established American sounds to create new forms of music.

Camp Town Races Music video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noYptXPHiAE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdZliSDhgXY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Zl12uRoSZ0

Connections: Journey Entry Using the APE response, answer the following prompt: How do artists today use their art to reflect and respond to changes in society? Context: An artist is anyone who creates works of art such as music, literature, paintings, and films. Be sure to include the theme of the artists work and how their work describes that theme in the proof portion of your response. Your journal entry must be at least 15 lines long Use sentences stems from the APE poster. The stems must be highlighted.