American Scene Painting is a general term for realist artist who depicted the typical American lifestyle during the late 1920s to 1940s. It encompassed the Social Realist and antimodernist, American Regionailism, an attempt to define the American imagery, the boundaries of those movements within however, remained ambiguous. American Scene was not a formally organized movement, it was merely a reaction against European modern art with the desire of establishing authentic American art.
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Precisionism ( 1920s - 1930s )
Emerged after the first world war, Precisionists were regarded as the Realists of the early 20th century as they painted real life situations and environment of the time. Urban settings, modernization of America were celebrated as the main themes of Precisionism as a means to shape and strengthen the national identity of the country during the time of war and destruction and economical depression. Precisionist's painting style was clean and precise, their compositions reduced to sharply defined geometrical forms, showing influence from photographers such as Paul Strand. The degree of abstraction varied in the movement, the artworks of Charles Sheeler, one of the pioneers of this movement was sometimes photorealistic. Precisionist techniques had origins in European movements such as Futurism's themes of industrialization and Cubism's simplified geometrical forms, however unlike those art movement, the movement was never officially established nor had they issued a manifesto, instead many did exhibited their works together, connected through their common themes and styles.
Georgia O'Keeffe and Charles Demuth were also prominent figures of the movement who continued with the movement for several decades. Precisonists' style not only indirectly shaped some Postmodernism art such as Pop art and Photorealism but also highly influenced the advertising and graphic design imagery even to this day.
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Burchfield and Hopper
Long-time friends Charles Burchfield and Edward Hopper were two of the most significant American artist of their time. Both escaped being closely affiliated with other realist artist, in fact Hopper mentioned in an interview, "I never tried to do the American Scene as Benton and others did. I think the American Scene caricatured America." showing disapproval to the American Scene business.
"The work of Charles Burchfield is most decidedly founded, not on art, but on life, and the life that he knows and loves best." stated Hopper in an essay on his colleague published in an issue of Arts magazine. Charles Burchfield is known for his dark paintings that depict the bleakness of rural America, its vernacular architecture conveying a sense of loneliness. Burchfield worked exclusively with watercolour and had a unique style as he was exposed to Chinese painting as well as European modernism. There were three major periods in Burchfield's works fantastical landscape, realist depiction of small towns and industrial subjects before returning to the mystical forms of his early paintings.
Edward Hopper's stark depictions of the American urban scenery were strangely devoid of people and life creating a sense of despair, as symbolizing the solitude of modern life. His most renowned work, Nighthawks created in the time of war was believed by many to demonstrate the loneliness and emotional disconnection with the external world experienced by the people caused by the devastation of war. Hopper's wife, Josephine Nivison Hopper who was also fairly successful as a painter herself was not only the model for most of his work but also a workmate as they encouraged and influenced each other's work. Both often visited Cape Cod, Massachusetts between 1930 and 1950 which scenes and locations would be found in his paintings over the course of his career.
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American Regionalism ( 1930 - 1935 )
Regionalism another branch of the American Scene Painting art movement that isolated themselves to depicting realistic scenes from rural and small town America, mostly in the Midwest. The movement flourished in the 1930s during the American Great Depression as it was appreciated for its reassuring and comforting depiction of America's heartland, insisting that the solution to the growing economical issues of urban America was to return to its agricultural roots.
The "Regionalist Triumvirate" which consisted of the three most respected artist of the era, Grant Wood, Thomas Hart Benton and John Steuart Curry. In Grant Wood's essay, “Revolt Against the City” that was published in 1935, he asserted that the Great Depression forced American artists to look back at their own culture and traditions for artistic inspiration in developing American art instead of looking to European art as reference therefore was benefits the growth of American art. All three artists had studied in Paris, however proclaimed that that they will stay true to American art and rejected the contemporary Parisian aesthetics.
Regionalism was in decline in the 1940s at the end of the second world war as they hit a creative dead end and the political shift was in favor of the Modernists. Ironically, in an attempt to reject European abstract art, Regionalism eventually became a catalyst for the development of the greatest American abstract art movement by Benton's student, Jackson Pollock — Abstract Expressionism.
Sources:
Arnold, S, ( 2013, November 26 ). Curatorial Perspective: Charles Burchfield and Edward Hopper. Retrieved from http://www.gibbes
Art Encyclopedia. ( n.d. ). American Scene Painting. Retrieved from http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/history-of-art/american-scene-painting.htm
Art Encyclopedia. ( n.d. ). Regionalism. Retrieved from http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/history-of-art/regionalism.htm
Artsy. ( n.d. ). Charles Ephraim Burchfield. Retrieved from https://www.artsy.net/artist/charles-ephraim-burchfield
DCMooreGallery. ( n.d. ). Charles Burchfield. Retrieved from http://www.dcmooregallery.com/artists/charles-burchfield
Dillen, B. ( n.d. ). Regionalism. Retrieved from http://www.artinthepicture.com/styles/Regionalism/
EdwardHopper.net. (n.d. ). Edward Hopper; Paintings, Biography, and Quotes. Retrieved from https://www.edwardhopper.net/
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Phillips, C. ( 2015, March 5 ). GOOD TO KNOW: AMERICAN SCENE PAINTING. Retrieved from http://blog.artsper.com/focus/good-know-american-scene-painting/
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Widewalls. ( n.d. ). Edward Hopper. Retrieved from https://www.widewalls.ch/artist/edward-hopper/