Topics in American Art

with content focusing on representational art

Sources and updates

(above: Elihu Vedder, The Sorrowing Soul Between Doubt and Faith, c. 1887, oil on canvas, 16 x 21 inches, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons*)

Important note Why are so many citations shown in gray? It's because the source broke the link to it sometime after we published it. What a shame.

Material for each Topics in American Art individual topic is obtained by us through:

1. analysis of information provided through Resource Library

2. search of the Author index plus Catalogues for relevant information

3. the National Calendar of Art Exhibitions (discontinued)

4. contact with libraries, museums, historical societies and other sources

5. Google searches for other resources

6. AI research tools

Using the National Calendar of Art Exhibitions to create citations (we ceased using this tool in 2025)

A result of updating the National Calendar of Art Exhibitions is the creation of citations in the Topics in American Art catalog's individual topics. After a calendared museum exhibit has opened, we review the museum's online exhibit information matching a specific topic, such as "Impressionism," and decide whether or not to place a new citation in the "Information from other websites" section of that individual topic. Consideration for creating a citation is goverened by the amount of information in a muiseum's online presentation for the exhibit such as the number of images, links to videos, a teacher guide, press releases, media coverage, virtual galleries, wall texts, object labels, check lists, brochures and more. A modest amount of descriptive text combined with other materials can produce a powerful presentation.

Topics citations include the name of the exhibit, a link to it, the starting year of the exhibit, the name of the exhibiting museum, a link to its home page, and a one to three sentence quote from the museum's exhibit description page. In some instances, additional links are included to artists' websites and media articles. We then note the year and date the citation is published. A citation example is:

Nellie Gail Moulton is a 2022 exhibit at the Moulton Museum which says: " An avid en plein air artist that painted her entire life, Nellie was dedicated to the craft and studied with renowned artists William Wendt, Anna Hills, and Frank Cuprien among others. With the benefit of those influences, along with her keen eye and brilliant use of color, her works reflect the rich beauty of nature and landscapes throughout California and beyond." Accessed 12/22

Repeating former Topics citations

If an exhibit tours to more than one museum, locally owned artworks may be added to the exhibit at the next museum in the tour. This may result in original text posted for the first showing to be amended for the next touring location. For the showing of the exhibit at the next in line museum, new online materials may added such as more images, a new in-depth description, links to more videos, new press releases, media coverage, wall texts, object labels, check list, gallery guide and perhaps more content. The next showing usually has the same title as the first showing. An example is:

America's Impressionism: Echoes of a Revolution is a 2021 exhibit at the San Antonio Museum of Art which says: "Impressionism has been one of the most enduring styles of art ever produced, and its complex and often contradictory American variation has captured and held public attention for more than a century. But although French and American Impressionism share some terminology and some artistic elements, this exhibition will demonstrate that the two styles diverged quite dramatically." Accessed 8/21

America's Impressionism: Echoes of a Revolution is a 2021 exhibit at the Brandywine River Museum which says: "One of the most enduring -- yet complex and even contradictory -- styles of art ever produced in this country, American Impressionism captured and held public attention for more than a century. The style was appreciated for its fairy tale views of an elegant American yesteryear, while at the same time carrying the imprimatur of Paris and reflecting the origins of modernism." Accessed 12/21

Noting citations in the Calendar

If an exhibit citation is posted in a topic, the topic location is noted in the Calendar by the phrase "See coverage at" followed by the name of the appropriate topic. An example is:

Dallas Museum of Art

Octavio Medellín: Spirit and Form

February 6 through January 15

See coverage at Texas Art History

If there isn't enough information to warrant a citation, TFAO places the word "Researched" followed by the month and year of the exhibit's review.

Broad Art Museum, Michigan State University

Art Along the River, Grand

February 12 through August 23

Researched 6/22

Effect of Covid temporary museum closures

A beneficial effect of 2020-21 closures was that scores of art museums greatly enhanced the quality and quantity of online presentations.

(above: Thomas Cole, The Voyage of Life Childhood, 1842. Picture from National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.) Source: Wikimedia Commons - public domain*)

Icons and legends

When an image is sourced from Wikimedia Commons, an icon tag is placed on the page containing it. The tags are:

*Tag for expired US copyright of object image:

and

**Tag for some rights reserved:

Image legend for multiple artists:

For further biographical information on selected artists cited above please see America's Distinguished Artists, a national registry of historic artists. Following are examples of artworks created by artists referenced in the above article or essay. Artworks and/or photographs shown may not be specific to this article or essay and are likely not cited in it. All images were obtained via Wikimedia Commons, which believes the images to be freely available for presentation here. Another source readers may find helpful is Google Images.

Image legend for a single artist:

For further biographical information on the artist cited above please see America's Distinguished Artists, a national registry of historic artists. Following is an example of artwork created by the artist referenced in the above article or essay. The image shown may not be specific to this article or essay and is likely not cited in it. The image was obtained via Wikimedia Commons, which believes the image to be freely available for presentation here. Another source readers may find helpful is Google Images.

TFAO page directional icons are:

Return to

and

Go to

Director's note

Art Movements Through Photography is a comprehensive 1-hour, 49-minutes online video lecture by Eileen Rafferty. Accessed 1/23

The Art Story is an academic-curated online encyclopedia for worldwide art. It has a summary page that focuses on notable American artists, art movements and styles from early history through today. Topics include: Native American Art, Folk Art, American Architecture, Hudson River School (1826-70), Luminism (1850-75), Tonalism (1870-1915), American Impressionism (1880-1920), Ashcan School (1900-15), Photography: Pictorialism, Straight Photography, and Beyond (1902-Present), Synchromism (1912-24), Harlem Renaissance (1920 - early 1940s), Fourteenth Street School (1920-40), American Regionalism (1928-43), Social Realism (1929 - late 1950s), Abstract Expressionism, Color Field Painting, Post-Painterly and Hard-Edge Abstraction (1943-65), Neo-Dada (1952-70), Pop Art and Photorealism (mid 1950s-1970s), Minimalism and Post-Minimalism (1960 - Present), Earth Art and Environmental Art (1960s - Present), Postmodernism (1960s - Present). Accessed 1/23

The Civil War and American Art is a multiple-episode online video presentation with SAAM Curator Eleanor Jones Harvey. Accessed 1/23

Imagining America: Icons of 20th Century American Art is a 2-hour PBS online documentary about 20th Century American art by John Carlin & Jonathan Fineberg. Accessed 1/23

American Visions is an eight-part online video series on American art written and narrated by art critic Robert Hughes. William Hosley says: "American Visions, an eight-part series on American art written and narrated by Time magazine art critic Robert Hughes, is both an account of American life and a tribute to American art that will likely propel thousands of the not-yet-converted into museums and galleries, antiques shows and auction rooms to see (and inevitably shop) for themselves. Filmed in 100 locations around the country, covering everything from Quaker to Shaker, George Washington to Bierstadt, Remington to Warhol, and the skyscrapers of New York City, Hughes has applied his considerable wit and imagination to the problem of revealing how art records and preserves both points of view and ways of life. It is American history told through art, not merely a history of art. It offers a perspective that is refreshingly elevating and inclusive." Accessed 1/23

Return to Topics in American Art - Site Guide

*Tag for expired US copyright of object image:

Our catalogues providing useful resources:

American Representational Art provides links to dozens of topics in American representational art.

Distinguished Artists is our national registry of historic artists.

Exhibition Catalogues, Brochures, Gallery Guides and Related Materials

Geographic Tour of American Representational Art History is our catalogue of articles and essays that describe the evolution of American art from the inception of the United States to WWII.

Articles and Essays Online contains substantive texts published outside of Resource Library.

How to find content on our site using search engines

Conduct keyword searches within our website and Resource Library, a collection of articles and essays honoring the American experience through its art, using the advanced search feature of these search engines:

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Or, before entering keywords in a basic search, enter site:tfaoi.org

Also see Indexes and information retrieval for more information.

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