Romanticism and the West

Romanticism and the West

No time in American history has been portrayed as more adventurous and romantic than the Old West. The images of the Old West are typically portrayed as trains, cowboys, mountainous terrain, and American Indians. These are the images that, in some manner, have contributed to the romanticism of America's Old West. The popular vision of America's west expansion and settlement – is a vision shaped and colored by a vast array of Western visual arts – has influenced “the Romantic spirit”.

There are strong artistic links and themes among the Romantic landscape painters of both Europe and America. In terms of artistic links among Romantic landscape painters; both styles relied heavily upon imagination and emotion. In terms of similar themes, both types also share nature as a central theme and subject matter. There is also a common theme of man's struggle against nature’s power. In America, this genre, emphasized freedom and democracy, also a bit of a protest and longing for America’s exploration.

Its landscapes, sunsets, horses, and mountains, are iconic symbols and reflections of the Old West. One of the most well-known writers from the Western genre include American writer Zane Grey. His stories were instrumental in shaping our ideas about the West. Grey masterfully described the beauty of desert and barren mountain land. Grey is also best known for books such as Riders of the Purple Sage, which has been transported by Hollywood into several films.
Visual artists looked for a way to capture the drama of the Old American West and its surroundings. Albert Bierstadt and Frederic Remington are two artist who captures the “Wild West” on canvas.
German painter Albert Bierstadt, is most notably recognized for his landscape paintings of American Indians, wild animals, and virgin landscape. Albert Bierstadt's paintings captured the soul of the Romantic Old West. Bierstadt early sketches of the West were marked as the final peak of the romantic...

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