Fine Arts Museum: Teachers' Guide to American Art

This guide focuses on twenty-four paintings from the impressive collection of American art housed at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. The earliest work, a portrait of the children of a Puritan family, dates from 1670. The last piece examined is a masterwork of William Harnett, "After the Hunt," painted in 1885. In between, you'll find the major works of many important American artists, including Bierstadt, Church, Copley, Cole, Pippin, Homer, and Peale. Although primarily directed toward teachers who are planning class trips to the museum, this guide should not be overlooked by other audiences. The analysis that accompanies each painting is sensitive and insightful, and the range of paintings included in the collection constitutes a useful survey of the directions and trends in American art over a two-hundred-year period. Includes details about the historical and cultural aspects of the paintings, along with basic facts about the artist.