By
Armand Cabrera |
• Brief history
• Abbati, Giuseppe
• Benson,
Frank
• Bierstadt, Albert
• Bonnington, R.P.
• Boudin, Eugene L.
• Braun, Maurice
• Bunker, Dennis M.
• Cassatt, Mary
• Carlson, John F.
• Chase, William M.
• DeRome, Albert T.
• Dixon, Maynard
• Dow, Arthur W.
• Durand, Asher B.
• Enneking, John J.
• Forbes, Elizabeth A.
• Forbes, Stanhope
• Gray, Percy
• Harrison, Lovell. B
• Hassam, Childe
• Hibbard, Aldro. T
• Homer, Winslow
• Kroyer, Peder.S
• Kuhnert, Wilhem
• Lepage, Jules. B
• Levitan, Isaac
• Lumis, Harriet. R
• Metcalf, Willard L.
• Moran, Thomas
• Mulhaupt, Frederick
• Munnings, Sir A. J.
• Payne, Edgar Alwin
• Peterson, Jane
• Redfield, Edward
• Redmond, Granville
• Robinson, Theodore
• Rose, Guy
• Rungius, Carl
• Sargent, John S.
• Seago, Edward
• Sharp, Joseph H.
• Sorolla, Joaquin
• Steel, Theodore C.
• Streeton, Arthur
• Wachtel, Marion
• Waugh, Frederick.J
• Wyeth, Newell. C.
• Zorn, Anders
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DIRECT FROM NATURE
A BRIEF HISTORY OF 19th and 20th CENTURY OUTDOOR PAINTING
 Prior
to the 19th century, landscape painting was used as the
basis for allegorical and narrative themes. The landscape
was idealized. Jacob van Ruysdael, and Claude Lorrain
captured effects of perspective and atmosphere. However,
their paintings were composed much like a set designer
would create a backdrop for a theater production. For
these artists, outdoor painting was confined to sketches
or preliminary studies for reference.
Outdoor painting has a relatively short history when
measured against the great span of art across the centuries.
It was not until the early 1800’s that artists rejected
the contrived landscapes of their predecessors and turned
to nature for their inspiration. It was a small group
of Englishmen, most notably John Constable and Joseph
William Mallord Turner, who first produced finished works
direct from nature. In 1824, John Constable’s paintings,
View on the Stour (1819) and The Hay Wain (1821) were
exhibited at the prestigious Salon in Paris, winning Gold
Medals. These works had a profound influence on the course
of landscape painting in the 19th century. In France,
Jean Batiste Camille Corot, also painted scenes foregoing
romanticized views.
 EARLY
OUTDOOR MOVEMENTS
The Barbizon School
Began in France and flourished from 1830 to 1870. Their
members included Theodore Rousseau, Constant Troyon and
Claude Daubigny.
 I
Macchiaioli
A group of painters in Tuscany from 1850 to 1900. Influenced
by the painters in France.
They rejected the academic romanticism of the time and
turned to modern life for inspiration--again working directly
from nature. Silvestro Lega, Giovanni Fattori and Vincenzo
Cabianca were some of the names in this group.
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 The
Impressionists
The Barbizon School and I Macchiaioli helped to form the great
movement of the Impressionists. Beginning in France in the 1860’s,
with their first show in 1874, the Impressionists rejected the
closed system of the academies. They embraced modern life as
a theme. Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro were prominent figures
in the group. The Impressionists sought to capture the effects
of atmosphere, basing their art on the science of color and
light. Most of their work was painted outdoors in a few hours
time. For larger works, they would return to the same location,
at the same time of day, and complete the painting.
The Hudson River School
1830’s – 1900’s.
 In
America, the expansion in the West beckoned artists to paint
these new lands. Collectors were eager to see the wilds of America
through their paintings. The first and most notable painters
in the Hudson River School were, Thomas Cole and Asher Brown
Durand. Later, following in their footsteps, were Frederick
Edwin Church, Thomas Hill, Albert Bierstadt and William Keith.
American Impressionism
1870’s – 1920’s.
The Americas were influenced by Impressionism. The first American
artists to embrace this new style were John Joseph Enniking,
Childe Hassam and Mary Cassat. American Impressionism is a blend
of academic training and Impressionist thought. This technique
is recognized by more spontaneous brushwork and a lighter palette
than the Hudson River School’s style. A few of the painters
at the turn of the century defy categorization, John Singer
Sargent and William Merritt Chase come to Mind.
1920’s – 2000
 20th
Century outdoor painters had a unique opportunity to choose
whatever style they felt best reflected their belief about painting.
Many fine painters worked through the middle of the century.
Carl Rungius, Edgar Payne, and John Fabian Carlson are just
a few. Contemporary Painters have discovered outdoor painting
again. Building on the past, their commitment to works of quality
has created a new golden age of painting.
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