UNITED STATES

So many cultures have combined throughout history to create America. The country is so diverse that it is difficult to use one term to describe all the people. The term 'American' must then loosely refer to all people of this country, regardless of color, race, or status. Americans are the ones that cause art to take form in any given era in this country.

The earliest American art is that of the Native Americans. These native cultures lived all over the continent and had a distinctive art and architecture, best suited towards their climate. Much of their art was either religious, ceremonial or utilitarian.

Existing art created by the explorers of the New World depicted scenes of the 'savage land'. The pictures of the new World and Native Americans were presented from the viewpoint of the Europeans who painted them, and therefore are inevitably biased. The Europeans brought with them the Style of French Portrait painting. Artists were then able to capture the native dress and tattooing of the native chieftains. These artists could almost be thought of as early 'photojournalists' of the time. Their purpose was to record the findings of the New World to share with others. The diagrammatic watercolors of John White give us pictures of the daily life of early Americans. The styles of these and other paintings were of European origin.

Spanish architecture thrived in the Southwest and can still be seen in the many mission churches. Their aim was at spreading Catholicism among the Native American tribes. Traditional Pueblo construction was of Adobe, which is the material for the bold, simplified forms of the Pueblo dwellings. In the Southwest, Spanish architecture was definitely influenced by these traditional dwellings. On the east coast, however, this was not the case. Their architecture was purely European. The only difference in the newer Spanish buildings was the introduction of sun baked adobe bricks, which were then puddled on top of that to achieve the same handworked, uneven finish seen in that of the Pueblo dwellings. Inside religious structures the mixed styles of the indigenous peoples and the Europeans is evident. Many mural paintings on the interiors of these churches are in the Native American styles. These are excellent examples of native art.

Some of the earliest art among the settlers of the New World was in their utilitarian objects, like chairs, couches and containers. The English were a heavy influence on these new settlers. Portraits became a popular painting style. Those who commissioned such a painting wanted to show their wealth by what was exhibited with them in their portrait. Most of these emblems of prosperity were imported from England. Paintings of this era lacked the conceived space of the Renaissance-Baroque and the human form was treated as a flat decorative element. The lush, sensuous brushwork of some of the many English portrait painters. However, these paintings of the New World began to move out of the Jacobean style and into the Baroque. Painters did not usually live in the colonies long because it was hard to make a living as the demand or their goods was not high.

The Patroon painters of the eighteenth century native-born Americans. Therefore they were not schooled in England in the ways of painting. They learned from engravings sent to the United States form Europe. They often simply 'copied' a European engraving, but substituted in the correct facial features of the new subject. Later portraits by American born artists showed truth and realism in painting the human, rather than idealism of changing the subject to fit an idealized form. These newer artists relied on their eyes, rather than a preconceived notion of art. The American portrait reached its high point during the third quarter of the eighteenth century.

New painting and architecture arose to express the spirit of America as it became a unified nation. History Painting, or the painting of storytelling, became important. The traditional English Portrait was no longer adequate to tell of the heroes and the greatness and victories of the American continent. American art became less rooted in European traditions. This led to the Federal Style, almost purely American, with some European influence. Also becoming popular was the landscape. Americans became fascinated with the character of their rural areas. An interest in the natural world arose.

The nineteenth century could be seen as having art that began to once again follow the history of Europe. It cannot be said, however, that their art simply copied that of the Europeans. The two developed similarly with each country, yet with some obvious cultural differences. Each brought its own style to that of the Romantic, Rococo, Neoclassical and American Renaissance periods.

This all started with a European intellectual fascination with the United States. Europeans thought the United States was crude, and coarse. Some Americans, therefore, admitted the problem and strove to correct it and urged cultural improvement. They believed that everyone needed culture, not just an elite few. Domestic ambiance became a statement of American taste, style, and culture. They generally adopted styles of the old world as they sought to define a national cultural identity of their own.

In the twentieth century America began to rise as a leader of the world. New technologies and materials gave way to innovative art and architecture. America continues to be a leader n the artistic world, although, a sense of equality between cultures has been achieved. It could be said that different cultures have come together to create a new art. (Modern art of the United States saw an importance in individual thoughts and dreams, similar to that defined in the paper written on Europe. For reading on Modern art see the aforementioned paper.)