Riddle of America, The - Waldorf Research Institute

What Is “American” in American Art?A Summary Survey of Two CenturiesbyDavid AdamsThe first century and a half of American visual artwork wasconducted in dialogue with artistic styles developing in Europe duringthe same time period. With the exception of architecture, it was only afterthe Second World War with the development of the New York School thatwithin North America a fully original style arose that also influenced artistsof Europe and elsewhere. This was followed by pop art and a series of otherexpressive inventions that marked the beginning of a continuing Americanhegemony in the visual arts—or, from another point of view, which markedthe point at which American art became continuous with the art of the restof the world (at least the parts of it influenced by Western culture).What follows is far from a complete survey of the history of Americanart. I have omitted many worthy artists and stylistic developments, haveconcentrated primarily on painting, and have continued the story onlythrough the 1960s, after which American art became more completelypluralist in style. I have ignored photography, film, video, computer art, theinfluence of these ”technological media” upon painting, and the increasingrole of critical theory in art production; and I do not discuss such morerecent developments as op art, superrealism (or photorealism), conceptualart, process art, performance art, kinetic sculpture, installation art, bodyart, earth works (or site art), neo-geo, graffiti art, neo-expressionism, andpostmodern architecture. In what I have written, I have tried to focus onthose artists whose work could convey the qualities that are most essentiallyor originally “American” within the course of American visual arts. If thisnarrative inspires readers to acquaint themselves more thoroughly and99