Existing comment:
Gilded Age:
American writers Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner coined the phrase "the Gilded Age" in their 1873 novel of the same name. Historians have broadly applied the term, with its negative connotations of superficiality and ostentatious wealth, to the decades following the Civil War. The metaphor of gilded surfaces further resonated in the richly decorated possessions of the ruling class -- from furniture to picture frames.
This gallery examines the American Aesthetic movement -- the leading cultural phenomenon of the opulent age -- through a range of objects produced in the 1870s and 1880s for the elite consumer. Rooted in the English philosophies of John Ruskin and William Morris -- particularly the notion that a "beautiful" environment promoted moral and social reform -- Aestheticism played a role in liberating American art and design through its emphasis on international influences.
These decades also witnessed a new generation of artists seeking to transcend issues of nationality in both training and subject matter. With reduced travel restrictions and improved modes of transportation, students flocked to the academies and private studies of Munich, Paris, London and Rome. The education they received in Europe's art capitals redirected many toward cosmopolitan styles and themes, while others applied their newly learned techniques to American subjects. A number even established permanent residency and professional reputations abroad. This gallery also explores the rich cross-fertilization that developed at the era's world's fairs and major annual exhibitions. |