Art Appreciation
Charles Sheeler, born on July 16, 1883, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a pivotal figure in American modernism and a leading exponent of precisionism. He studied at the Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts under renowned impressionist painter William Merritt Chase, which laid the foundation for his distinctive artistic style.
Inspired by the geometric forms and structured compositions of Cubist artists like Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, Sheeler merged these influences to create artworks that celebrate the industrial landscape with meticulous detail and clarity.
Sheeler's precisionism is exemplified in his iconic paintings "Upper Deck" and "American Landscape." "Upper Deck," painted in 1929, captures the stark, clean lines of a transatlantic ocean liner, transforming the ship into geometric shapes bathed in light and shadow. Similarly, "American Landscape," completed in 1930, portrays the Ford River Rouge Plant in Dearborn, Michigan. Sheeler presents the factory as a modern cathedral, emphasizing the beauty of industrial architecture and its significance in the American landscape.
Sources:
Wikipedia
http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/precisionism/
https://sga-art-history.blogspot.com/2010/02/15-charles-sheeler-american-landscape.html
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