Studying the American Aesthetic art movement in class and, we talked over major artists of that time such as Winslow Homer, James Whistler, a little bit of William Chase. The Aesthetics' rejected the traditional need for moral value and meaning in a work of art--art for art's sake became the motto! Organization of color and shape became what was important to please the eye and the mind. Going back over the reading selections from American Art, an artist that I couldn't remember talking about was Thomas Dewing. I found the one painting shown of his, After Sunset, tweaked my fancy and was resolved to discover more.
Thomas Dewing (1851-1938) was born in Massachusetts, studied art in Paris, returned to live in New York, and spent his summers with the Cornish Art Colony. While rejecting some of the artistic traditions still upheld in--and because of--high society, Dewing created his paintings for their benefit and catered to their tastes in many ways. His paintings of richly dressed women (one seen above) abound.
His paintings remind me of a gauzy dream: the clearest details are given to the figures of his slightly removed women and all around them is a haze of smokey tones. Dewing is said to be "under the spell of the Aesthetic movement and the tonalist technique of Whistler" (American Art pg. 290). Tonality in art connects objects in a harmonious atmosphere of color--without tone, objects would be stark and jutting. This dreamlike atmosphere is enhanced by unnatural poses. Rarely can we find a figure in his paintings who does not look affectedly posed.
The prevailing theme in his works is of a small group of women (1, 2, or 3) set against a inconsequential, fairly solid background. In American Art, the descriptive panel reads, "this painting was partially inspired by...Dante Gabriel Rossetti whose sonnet...asked the question of what awaited the individual soul after death" giving the reader the idea that perhaps the painting they are looking at has added meaning behind it. This seemed ironic to me because that is exactly what I imagine Dewing, himself, being against! Added meaning. If he truly was such a fan of the Aesthetic movement, why would he not follow the standard of putting no moral story behind the image? Non-narrative seems to be the thought that comes to my mind if I were to look at his paintings--especially in conjunction with one another. I would have to stretch to imagine what he was trying to narrate. I am ever grateful for the "partially inspired" in the text that saves Dewing from being the laughing-stock of the Aesthetic society.
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