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The Gilded Age
After the Civil War became the Gilded Age era of art. -
Photography
During the Gilded Age became the widespread use of photography. This became easier to do with the ability to mass produce. Photographs were used as art in their own right, but also as sketches for paintings (Pohl, 2017). Photography made it easy to capture a singular moment and leave out the rest of what was going on. These pictures featured the rise of women joining the workforce and wealth joining the families (Pohl, 2017). -
Strike
With more workers joining the force, more issues came about as well. Strikes were happening all over the place and became the focus of paintings. This included the issues it put on the workplace, strikers, and family as well (Pohl, 2017). The Gilded Age was a time when the rich got richer and the poor got poorer. Strikes represented the unfairness between classes. -
Feminine Ideal
With the rich getting richer, they began to splurge. Art used to decorate homes was becoming more of a decoration and included more femininity (Pohl, 2017). These paintings expressed the soft, ideal, and angelic beauty women could have. Men dominated history, but women were dominating art (Pohl, 2017). With all the trouble and corruption in the Gilded Age, this femininity brought a softness and peacefulness to life. -
Architecture
By the end of the 19th century, architecture was the new up and coming art form. Architecture was transforming from elaborately decorated buildings to those that were more true to the natural materials and shapes used (Pohl, 2017). These led to a more modern look that we have now and began the adjustment to the Ashcan artists. Architecture transitioning was the middleground between the Gilded Age and the Ashcan artists. -
Race and Religion
Next came the emphasis on race and religion. Closer now to Ashcan art, these artistic views showed the belief in God and how race brought people together (Pohl, 2017). The art of this time was to show the realness of African American life. Artists such as Henry Ossawa Tanner wanted to show a sympathetic side to the african american people (Pohl, 2017). This helped progress the art of the time to the Ashcan art of New York. -
Technology
With the ability to capture motion picture came the need to make art about the real rather than the ideal or surreal. Ashcan art was about capturing this new version of American and motion pictures helped pave the way. The focus turned to New York which was the center of the art market at the time (Pohl, 2017). This art was about the modernist view and not being stuck in the past. -
Ashcan School
The ashcan school wanted to show another side of urban life that schooling ignored; they wanted to show the lower classes to the upper classes (Pohl, 2017). The focus of this art took place in New York and often showed those on the streets and in poor conditions. However, this was also about the interworkings of the lower class communities and how they function together (Pohl, 2017). -
Resource
POHL, F. K. (2017). FRAMING AMERICA: a social history of american art (3rd ed.). S.l.: W W NORTON.
