America

Book excerpt: A specifically American form of art emerged in the nineteenth century that was much more than just a reflection of European developments or stylistic trends. It was a period during which noteworthy local traditions were brought to light, and this is reflected in the selection of landscapes, portraits, and genre paintings contained in this volume, with a plate section including 146 works by 43 artists. The works provide a comprehensive survey of American painting spanning more than one hundred years, from the close of the eighteenth century until World War I. In the context of their genre, these works demonstrate both the continuity and the breaks in the development of nineteenth-century American art and question the established art-historical narrative of American painting.