American Paintings: Everyday Americans

On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Jeremiah Regan and professor emeritus of art Sam Knecht discuss what paintings of everyday Americans can tell us about the American character.

Great artists perceive something that is difficult to capture and portray it with a beauty that makes it easier for us to grasp. These American paintings present the American character and make us proud to be Americans. This course explores inspiring portraits of statesmen, cherished images of common citizens, breathtaking landscapes of the American countryside, the hidden beauty of America’s city streets, and harrowing but fortifying glimpses of battle. American art is characterized by honesty. These artists attempt to balance a faithful replica of reality with a depiction of the ideal we seek. The color, light, and movement captured in brushstrokes on canvas provide a unique glimpse of the American character.

America exists of, by, and for the people. These paintings feature ordinary American citizens exercising their freedom, defending their rights, laboring for their property, and loving their neighbors.

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