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Encouraging American Genius
Title: The Tough Story - Scene in a Country Tavern, 1837
Artist: William Sidney Mount (American 1807-1868)
Medium: Oil on Panel
Permanent Collection: Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Museum Purchase Gallery Fund 74.69
Image Courtesy: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Masterworks from the Corcoran Gallery of Art
at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston / MFAH
February 19 - May 7, 2006
Founded by William Wilson Corcoran in 1869, the gallery that bares his name is devoted to the collection of American masterpieces. Of
particular significance is its Hudson River School works that are reflected in this exhibit of over 70 of the gallery's most beloved treasures.
Title: May Night, 1906
Artist: Willard Leroy Metcalf (American 1858-1925llery)
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Permanent Collection: Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Museum Purchase Gallery Fund 07.7
Image Courtesy: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
They are currently on tour in the USA. The Corcoran is the oldest museum in Washington D.C. and the third oldest art museum in the states.
Encouraging American Genius represents every major American artist and artistic movement pre-1945.
“The best American paintings in the Corcoran’s collection are in
this show,” says Emily Ballew Neff, MFAH curator of American
painting and sculpture, who is directing installation of the
exhibition in Houston. “These are some of the most celebrated and
recognized paintings in the history of American art. Naturally, this
is a thrilling opportunity for viewers to connect with American art
and culture spanning nearly two hundred years. Much of the history
of American art was written from this very collection.”
“William Wilson Corcoran’s stated goal was to establish an
institution ‘dedicated to Art, and used solely for the purpose of
encouraging American genius,’” explains Peter C. Marzio, MFAH director who
served as director and CEO of the Corcoran from 1978-1982. “The
collection Mr. Corcoran began is testament not only to the brilliant
talent of American artists but to his own genius in recognizing the
importance of preserving and sharing this country’s cultural
heritage. The MFAH is proud to host this outstanding exhibition for audiences in Houston.”
Colonial Portraiture
Title: George Washington, after 1796
Artist: Gilbert Stuart (American 1755-1828)
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Permanent Collection: Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Museum Purchase William A. Clark Collection 26.172
Image Courtesy: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
The best American portrait artists are a key componet of the exhibit with works by John Singleton Copley, Benjamin West and
Gilbert Stuart.
Stuart’s George Washington (after 1796), is one of his Athenaeum-type portraits. The painting is an iconic image of the first President of the
fledgling United States of America.
Title: Niagara, 1857
Artist: Frederic Edwin Church (American 1826-1900)
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Permanent Collection: Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Museum Purchase Gallery Fund 76.15
Image Courtesy: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Nineteenth Century romantic landscapes was the theme embraced by the artists collectively known as the Hudson River School.
Church’s majestic Niagara is a highlight of the exhibit. Spanning a width of over seven feet,
the painting depicts the Canadian view of Niagara Falls where it is possible to come extremely close to the
edge of the rushing waters for the most exhilarating view of the natural wonder. His renditions of
magnificent wilderness sites such as Niagara Falls made Church the most famous artist in America of his day.
Gilded American Age
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Title: Singing a Pathetic Song, 1881
Artist: Thomas Eakins (American 1844-1916)
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Permanent Collection: Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Museum Purchase Gallery Fund 19.26
Image Courtesy: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
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Escape from the profound changes of this era in American history is the theme
of these works. For example Singing a Pathetic Song is the last genre
scene Eakins painted and his last domestic documentation of women and music.
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The woman in the foreground is bathed in light to showcase her isolation. She is depicted with tight brush strokes setting her apart from the musicians in the background. Eakins was known for painting with a 'truthful eye' whether his patrons appreciated it or not.
Early Twentieth Century
Title: Forty-two Kids, 1907
Artist: George Wesley Bellows (American 1882-1925)
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Permanent Collection: Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Museum Purchase William A. Clark Fund 31.12
Image Courtesy: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Early Twentieth Century, change comes yet again to the country and is explored by the painters of this era.
Artists such as George Bellows and Edward Hopper use
loose brushwork to express the energy of the new century capturing scenes of everyday urban life.
For example Forty-two Kids shows urban tenement children swimming and smoking along the East River in New York City.
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After its Texas showing Encouraging American Genius will travel to New York, North Carolina and Florida.
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Title: Berlin Abstraction, 1914-1915
Artist: Marsden Hartley (American 1877-1943)
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Permanent Collection: Corcoran Gallery of Art,
Washington, D.C.
Museum Purchase Gallery Fund 67.3
Image Courtesy: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
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Encouraging American Genius Master Paintings from the Corcoran
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston:
February 19, 2006- May 7, 2006
Parrish Art Museum, Southampton, New York:
June 3 - September 12, 2006
Mint Museum of Art Charlotte, NC:
October 7 - December 31, 2006
John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, Florida:
February 3 - April 29, 2007
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