The industrial development of California and more precisely the evolution towards a more factual representation of the landscape determined artists to find different ways in which they could the human element in the paintings. These included marine scenes with a touch of wild beauty although the tendency at the turn of the century had been a deeper portrayal of men, the Southern art still maintained the innocence of its beginnings. In the North the abundance of rigid landscapes made artists adopt a less colorful attitude in their paintings, while the Southern painters were drawn more towards the use of warm, light colors that reflected the sunny environment in the South. The great variety of possibilities the Californian landscape offered paintings was clearly stated artistically through a certain unofficial separation between two emerging trends, the Northern and Southern Californian styles (Stern, 2003). Aside from the artistic effect, therefore, the paining has also a historical importance because it shows the extent to which the society and the social landscape evolved in California. It was also a reminder of the importance of the ocean for the emerging economic and social development of California's cities. Lee's painting of the peer is representative for showing the somewhat changed situation in California, with ships docking and activities under way. While in the early beginning when California was viewed more as a barrel place, with only the natural aspect as representative, as years passed and the development of the country and of the region became obvious, artists changed their perspective and tried to portray precisely the reality of the day, with more action involving the human being, with an emerging buzzing life.
In "A view of Fort Point, San Francisco" reveals not only an exquisite landscape of the bay area, but also the changes that slowly affected the American landscape as a whole. This transition would ultimately lead to a complete realistic view of the world which would eventually be transposed on canvas.Īn important artist that made this transition in his paintings is Joseph Lee, whose depictions of the Bay area included, at times, also elements suggesting human life.
In this sense, the evolution was obvious and, although the Californian landscape remained the center piece in the canvases, it remained as an element of identification for the eventual human characters which came to give life to the painting. In time, the focus slowly shifted away from the dramatic landscape of the mountains and plains and there was a certain development by introducing the human body as the center of the image, rather than a completing element that only added value to the main actor which was the natural landscape. At the same time, he tried to capture most of the elements of the natural landscape, the violent yet harmonious waves in "Opalescent Sea" or the wild bushes of the traditional secluded areas of California, which inspire the feeling of a certain end of the world in "Twilight."
0 kommentar(er)
