The popular style of architecture, Victorian architecture, consisted of ornate and lavish interior and exterior decoration. Floral wallpapers and golden swirls were the norm; high society was represented with class, poise, and dignity, and those with the means certainly had no qualms about displaying their wealth. Most people, however, simply did not have enough money to have gold merely for the sake of the aesthetic of their house, so they bought gilded objects instead. The gilding was cheaper as it only used a thin shell of gold metal to cover the substance of the object. Mark Twain named this period of time “the Gilded Age” in reference to these gilded decorations, but also to how America appeared to immigrants: a shiny land, full of promise. The sad reality was that ascending the social ladder, working one’s way up from poverty, was not as easily accomplished as it seemed. Similarly, Impressionists only portrayed the lives they wanted-- those of the upper-middle socioeconomic status. Hardship was nearly impossible to find in their paintings; their portrayal of America showed only a small portion of the truth. They hid the plight of the working class and the ugliness and hatred in the world. If they even were depicted, the were idealized. Pennsylvania Impressionist Robert Spencer painted the silk mills near his home, but the images show pastel clothing and open air, and the image of happiness and a good work environment.(29) If How the Other Half Lives by Jacob Riis and other photographic works reveal the substance below the gilding of the reality of America, then impressionism is the polar opposite, showing only the gilding of America.
While the theme of labor may have appeared in both figurative and and landscape paintings, the work was glossed over. People were depicted at work and in places of work, but they did not look tired or unhappy.(30) Farmers were depicted hauling wood and cutting ice, or sharpening tools. The idyllic countryside truly attracted the painters; the land was rich and lush and possessed an alluring quality.
While the theme of labor may have appeared in both figurative and and landscape paintings, the work was glossed over. People were depicted at work and in places of work, but they did not look tired or unhappy.(30) Farmers were depicted hauling wood and cutting ice, or sharpening tools. The idyllic countryside truly attracted the painters; the land was rich and lush and possessed an alluring quality.
William Merritt Chase, An Italian Garden, 1909, accessed February 8, 2016, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chase_William_Merritt_An_Italian_Garden_1909.jpg.
29. "American Impressionism: The Beauty of Work," Traditional Fine Arts Organization, last modified September 24, 2005, accessed March 23, 2016, http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/6aa/6aa52.htm.
30. "American Impressionism: The Beauty," Traditional Fine Arts Organization.
30. "American Impressionism: The Beauty," Traditional Fine Arts Organization.
Cover Image: Childe Hassam, The Water Garden, 1909, oil on canvas, accessed February 23, 2016, http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/14871.