The most famous American artists lived and worked in different periods of history, but each of them made a significant contribution to the development of world fine arts. The names of the 10 most famous American artists are familiar not only to residents of the United States, but also to connoisseurs of painting from other parts of the world.
Thomas Cole
The founder of the first American school of painting rightfully tops the list of the most famous artists in the United States. Cole ardently loved the nature of his native land and most of his creativity devoted to singing its beauty. It was he who initiated the unification of a group of landscape painters in the 20s of the XIX century in the powerful Hudson River School, which existed almost until the end of the century and gave the world many beautiful masterpieces. 1
Albert Bierstadt
Engraving “Portrait of Albert Bierstadt,” mid-19th century This artist’s parents emigrated to the United States when their son was barely a year old. Although Albert was German by birth, he grew up a true American patriot, and the main subject for his paintings chose the nature of the Wild West and the life of the Indians. Bierstadt was a leading painter of the second generation of the Hudson River School, painted more than 500 paintings, achieved considerable commercial success during his lifetime and became a very wealthy man.
Winslow Homer
The founder of American realism is recognized by most experts as the greatest artist of the United States of the XIX century. Homer achieved wide recognition among the public by writing beautiful seascapes. He easily managed to create masterpieces of painting as oil paints, and watercolor. In addition to marinist painting, Homer also wrote paintings of the domestic genre, for many years was engaged in illustrating magazines and made engravings.
James Whistler
Born in the United States, Whistler spent most of his life outside his homeland (in Russia, England and France), but became one of the brightest representatives of the purely American direction in painting – tonalism. His painting “Arrangement in gray and black. The Artist’s Mother,” painted in 1871, is still one of the most famous works of American artists of all time. Among other things, Whistler distinguished himself among his peers by constantly referring to his paintings by musical terms such as nocturnes, symphonies, and arrangements.
John Singer Sargent
John Singer Sargent was an American citizen, although he rarely visited his homeland. Born in Italy, he studied painting in France and then settled permanently in England. The artist was a true cosmopolitan, traveled extensively throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East, was friends with the Impressionists, but in his own works preferred the realistic style of writing. Sargent is considered one of the best portraitists of the “Beautiful Era” (70-ies of the XIX century – 10-ies of the XX century), and today his work is highly valued in Europe and America.