Riddle of America, The - Waldorf Research Institute

Nevertheless, the title allows a rather simple-minded doubt to arise:what is American light? Is not light all over the world scientifically the same,given that an identical mixture of atmospheric elements (moisture, winds,clouds, dust, and so on) should produce identical effects wherever theyoccur? This should happen especially in coastal or marine settings. TheodoreStebbins in his contribution to the catalog (“Luminism in Context, ANew View”) demonstrated that 19th century painters in northern Europeand Russia on occasion achieved light effects very similar to those of theAmerican luminists. His examples are overwhelmingly marine scenes,and he is careful not to claim that paintings from all these countries haveidentical stylistic features. The more one postulates inland settings involvingvarying altitudes, flora, and other local features that modify climate,the less likely are such coincidences; this means that American light itselfincludes many nuances, from the White Mountains of New Hampshire toYosemite Valley of California. Yet these are usually quite distinguishablefrom European counterparts. (Stebbins noted this in connection with apainting of the Bavarian Alps.)It is possible, therefore, in a qualified physical sense, to speak of“American” light. In another sense, however, Anthroposophy can offer afiner criterion for appreciating the quality of landscape painting in this eraof realism in art:To clairvoyant consciousness there extends over every region of theEarth a peculiar spiritual cloudlike formation that we call the ethericaura of that particular region. This etheric aura varies according tothe landscape: in Switzerland it is different from Italy and againdifferent in Norway, Denmark or Germany. Just as every man hashis own etheric aura, so a kind of etheric aura hovers above everyregion of the earth’s surface. 2In common parlance, the expression genius loci refers to somethinglarger than, but surely including, what Rudolf Steiner is describing here.In the greatest luminist paintings, particularly in the landscapes of Churchand Heade, there seems to be an added dimension that eludes words. I takethis to stem from an ability of these artists to include in a mysterious waysome hint of the etheric aura of the places they were depicting.Contributors to the catalog trace the development and interaction ofthe various artists who originated, brought to culmination, and then usheredout the luminist movement. An American style underlying this is assumed,and intermittent efforts are made to define this group phenomenon. There93