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Romantic Spirits: Nineteenth-Century Paintings from the Johnson Collection July 25, 2014–February 15, 2015 / Telfair Academy
Spanning the years 1810–1896, this exhibition examines the core concepts of the romantic movement as it unfolded in fine art of the American South. Having originated in European literature and art, romanticism found its way to America. The same ideals found in the canvases of the Hudson River School also colored the art of painters who found their inspiration and audience in the South. In this study of thirty-two artists—including William Dickinson Washington, William Thompson Russell Smith, Gustave Henry Mosler, Thomas Addison Richards, Joseph Rusling Meeker, Robert Walter Weir, and Thomas Sully—the exhibition delineates the historical, social, and cultural forces that profoundly influenced their aesthetic sensibilities. An insightful catalogue containing illustrated biographies on the featured artists, as well as extensive bibliographic resources, accompanies Romantic Spirits. The works in this exhibition are drawn from the Johnson Collection, founded by George Dean Johnson, Jr. and Susan (Susu) Phifer Johnson of Spartanburg, South Carolina. The Johnsons are passionate philanthropists committed to enhancing the educational environment and cultural vibrancy of their hometown, state, and region. Their collection began as an interest in paintings by Carolina artists in 2002, and has since grown to encompass more than eight hundred objects with provenances that span the centuries and chronicle the cultural evolution of the American South.
Opposite, top to bottom Andrew John Henry Way (1826-1888) Still Life with Fruit on Silver Salver,1880 Oil on canvas, 24 x 20 inches Above: William Charles Anthony Frerichs (1829-1905) Falls of Tamahaka, Cherokee County, North Carolina, after 1855 Oil on canvas, 31 x 54 inches
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Thomas Satterwhite Noble (1835-1907) Forgiveness, c. 1872 Oil on canvas, 50 x 65 inches Gustave Henry Mosler (1841-1920) The Lost Cause, 1868 Oil on canvas, 36 x 48 inches