In the early 19th century, the American West represented freedom and hope to those looking for a new life. It sparked the curiosity of explorers with its sense of mystery and opportunity, while its unusual land formations and unique population intrigued scientists and ethnologists. The physical grandeur of the land, along with the optimism and wonder infused in the landscape, inspired artists from across the country. "American West: Dust and Dreams" is an eclectic portrayal of the ways these artists of different backgrounds were awed by the same land, and how their expressions compare.
The exhibit features nearly 100 pieces from over 70 artists, ranging from paintings and drawings to etchings, prints and photographs. The works, taken from parts of the MFA's collection that were completed west of the Mississippi River from 1820 to 2004, are organized primarily by region. The show includes scenes from Yosemite, Yellowstone National Park, southwest deserts, California beaches, Northwest timberlands, Hollywood and San Francisco.
"American West" boasts works by famed American artists Diane Arbus, Georgia O'Keefe, Dorothea Lange, Albert Bierstadt, Edward Weston, Paul Strand, Thomas Moran and Ansel Adams.
The first work on view is Paul Strand's "Ranchos de Taos Church." The photograph, taken in New Mexico, seems otherworldly with its strange geometric architecture. The building, admired by Strand for its "elegant simplicity," casts dark bands of shadow on its many faces, carving into it a kind of abstract, modern, Frank-Lloyd-Wright-like structure that is bold and smooth against the majestic sky.
Strand was not alone in his veneration of the architecture of the West - this same church is the subject of another painting in the show. A striking photograph by Max Yavno, "The White House, CCanon de Chelly, Arizona" shows the sophisticated architecture of the Anasazi. It captures a moment of light on a white stone house built into an enormous mass of rock; the rock so entirely dwarfs the house that without the title, it might be overlooked.
Near this photograph are two gelatin silver prints of people in nature: "Sanctuary" by Anne Brigman and "At the Old Well of Acoma." They both use a soft printing technique commonly used to romanticize the scene during this period.
A large amount of the work in the exhibit was done by artists who traveled with others'7 expeditions, sponsored by the government, scientists, explorers or the military.
It was the work of one these artists, Thomas Moran, that helped convince Congress to declare the Yellowstone region America's first national park through his stunning 1871 watercolors. These watercolors are documentary, done in fine detail and illustrational in style. Moran's works in particular are done in vivid colors and are almost surrealist with glassy mountains. Inventive and experimental, they're worthy of gracing a science fiction novel cover.
Among these breathtaking mountain vistas are works by William Higgins, John Marin, Raymond Jonson, Gustave Baumann and Emil Bisttram, all from different times and backgrounds. Despite the different mediums, the works are amazingly close in style. These artists have rendered mountains on thick, textured paper as simplified, angular masses, crowded and sharp, with horizontal strokes of color for the clouds and ground.
While the land of the West is primarily what attracted these artists, works concerning the people and their culture are another focus of the "American West" exhibit. In the first room, Dorothea Lange's 1927 "Hopi Indian" is a startling portrait which hangs across from George Catlin's 1844 drawing of "An Osage Warrior, an Iroquois, and a Pawnee Woman." "An Osage Warrior" comes from Catlin's "North American Indian Portfolio," a collection of paintings compiled for the federal government meant to educate Europeans. Their placement sets up a contrast between the modern, intimate photograph and removed, didactic drawing.
The show ends with a kind of departure from nature, a switch to more modern characteristics of the American West. Edward Weston's "Twentieth Century Fox," a humorous photograph of a Western set, is a clever companion to Ansel Adams' "Ghost Town."
"American West: Dust and Dreams" is an exhibit of great breadth. Historical and informative, the show allows viewers to jump from one time period to the next, making unexpected connections and comparisons, broadening their understanding of the region as a whole.
