May 15–September 5, 2010

Martin Johnson Heade (1819–1904), Jersey Meadows with a Fisherman, 1877. Oil on canvas. 13 5/8 x 26 1/2 inches. Collection of the Newark Museum; Purchase 1946 Sophronia Anderson Bequest Fund 46.156.


Nearly 20 American artists spanning the Hudson River School to American Impressionism are represented in these small-scale paintings from the superb collection of the Newark Museum.

Beginning with the Hudson River School in the 1820s, landscape served as a vehicle for expressing national identity and pride in the wonders of the land. Artists such as Albert Bierstadt (1830–1902), Asher B. Durand (1796–1886), and Jasper Cropsey (1823–1900) were intent on creating distinctly American scenes.

Later, during the Civil War and in the years following, this ardent nationalism waned as French landscape painting and the Barbizon school influenced a younger generation of painters including George Inness (1825–1894), John Pope (1820–1881), and Mary Moran (1842–1899).

By the 1890s, Impressionism, with its broken brushstrokes and brilliant hues, became the avant-garde style in America.

Together, these small but sublime canvases provide an overview of the approaches to landscape in the second half of the 19th century and illustrate shifts in broader social attitudes towards nature and American identity. 

Organization and Funding

Small but Sublime: Intimate 19th-Century American Landscapes was organized by the Newark Museum. The exhibition has received funding for conservation support from the Henry Luce Foundation and from the Newark Museum Volunteer Organization and from Barbara and Bill Weldon.

The Pittsburgh presentation is made possible through the generous support of the Allegheny Foundation. Additional funding has been provided by First National Bank.

Image credit