United States

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.

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.

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.

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.

Many of Fuller’s images of African Americans and gypsies feature the same exoticism found in this poetic image of a barefoot girl of ambiguous race, wearing fanciful jewelry and gently leading a calf. The son of a farmer, Fuller farmed for much of his own life, and his representations of rural girls, like those by his European contemporaries, have been interpreted as nostalgic yearnings for a simpler way of life that was being altered by modern technology.

Many of Fuller’s images of African Americans and gypsies feature the same exoticism found in this poetic image of a barefoot girl of ambiguous race, wearing fanciful jewelry and gently leading a calf. The son of a farmer, Fuller farmed for much of his own life, and his representations of rural girls, like those by his European contemporaries, have been interpreted as nostalgic yearnings for a simpler way of life that was being altered by modern technology.

According to art critics, Chase’s New York studio resembled a museum. Inspired by the Aesthetic movement, Chase decorated it with an extensive collection of antiques, including the Chinese bronze, Italian Renaissance chest, Spanish religious wall hanging, Turkish coffee urn, and German clock depicted here. These objects reflected the taste for opulence and exoticism during the Gilded Age, an era of increasing international tourism and trade in antiques.

According to art critics, Chase’s New York studio resembled a museum. Inspired by the Aesthetic movement, Chase decorated it with an extensive collection of antiques, including the Chinese bronze, Italian Renaissance chest, Spanish religious wall hanging, Turkish coffee urn, and German clock depicted here. These objects reflected the taste for opulence and exoticism during the Gilded Age, an era of increasing international tourism and trade in antiques.