Gallery 24

By the 1830s, the term “bohemian,” from the French word bohème, was widely used to describe young artistic and literary figures who rejected middle-class traditions and comforts, engaged in unconventional behavior, and wore very simple, artistic clothing, all in the pursuit of lives dedicated to the higher calling of art. Bunker’s subject—a solitary artist playing a Spanish-style guitar in a humble studio filled with art and books—epitomized romantic conceptions of such a lifestyle.

This small picture features various domestic details which would have interested art collectors during the Gilded Age. Ulrich’s closely observed image of a woman practicing the piano is painted with a pure and lustrous color, capturing the specific qualities of the room in which she sits. A close look at the vase and roses on the table reveal that this woman has decided to sit down and play music in the middle of arranging flowers—she has taken a break from one artistic activity to engage in another.

This small picture features various domestic details which would have interested art collectors during the Gilded Age. Ulrich’s closely observed image of a woman practicing the piano is painted with a pure and lustrous color, capturing the specific qualities of the room in which she sits. A close look at the vase and roses on the table reveal that this woman has decided to sit down and play music in the middle of arranging flowers—she has taken a break from one artistic activity to engage in another.

This painting fuses European still-life traditions with Asian objects and aesthetics. The blue-and-white porcelain vase documents the vogue for Chinese ceramics that entranced artists of the Aesthetic Movement, such as James McNeill Whistler. The Asian-influenced aesthetics which inspired these artists are especially resonant in San Francisco, which has historically served as a dynamic site of exchange for Asian/American culture and ideas.

This painting fuses European still-life traditions with Asian objects and aesthetics. The blue-and-white porcelain vase documents the vogue for Chinese ceramics that entranced artists of the Aesthetic Movement, such as James McNeill Whistler. The Asian-influenced aesthetics which inspired these artists are especially resonant in San Francisco, which has historically served as a dynamic site of exchange for Asian/American culture and ideas.

The young man in The Courtship sits in a relaxed posture, visiting a young woman who is immersed in her spinning. Her intense concentration makes her seem almost self-contained, giving the scene a sense of quiet intimacy. Eakins demonstrated a strong sense of the woman’s absorption in her task, an interest in carefully plotted perspective, and a concern with evoking a nostalgic view of America’s simpler, homespun past.

The young man in The Courtship sits in a relaxed posture, visiting a young woman who is immersed in her spinning. Her intense concentration makes her seem almost self-contained, giving the scene a sense of quiet intimacy. Eakins demonstrated a strong sense of the woman’s absorption in her task, an interest in carefully plotted perspective, and a concern with evoking a nostalgic view of America’s simpler, homespun past.

Influenced by Dutch old masters, Duveneck painted contemporary subjects using fluid brushwork and strong tonal values. The painterly, seemingly unfinished quality of this work contrasts with the more polished style of realism promoted in many art schools in Paris. The harem—a secluded, female-only space in a Muslim household—was a popular Orientalist subject because of its associations with exoticism, sexuality, and voyeurism.

Chalfant spent two years at the private Académie Julian in Paris, studying figure painting with the academic artist William-Adolphe Bouguereau. This studio view documents the importance placed upon nude study at the academy, which typically rewarded faithfulness to realism and discouraged artistic invention. Chalfant followed in the footsteps of several generations of American artists who studied the latest fashionable—and marketable—academic styles in Europe.

Chalfant spent two years at the private Académie Julian in Paris, studying figure painting with the academic artist William-Adolphe Bouguereau. This studio view documents the importance placed upon nude study at the academy, which typically rewarded faithfulness to realism and discouraged artistic invention. Chalfant followed in the footsteps of several generations of American artists who studied the latest fashionable—and marketable—academic styles in Europe.