Tuesday, June 23, 2009

The 10 greatest American painters


I don't know if I have ever posted this one before. It is moving from one show to another and I had a photo of it in the computer I am using tonight.This was painted an autumn or two ago above Johnson, Vermont with my friend Eric Tobin. This is about a half mile from his home. This was an unbelievably beautiful place to stand and paint on a warm afternoon. I wanted a picture to head this post with. I in no way meant to imply that I belonged anywhere near a list of the 10 greatest American painters. Please...........

I have narrowed my search for a new laptop down to several choices and soon I will no longer be blogging on 19th century computers with wooden cases and rock crystal screens and run on steam. When I do get that new lap top up and happening I can get into some posts that I am holding off on doing.

I think it would be amusing tonight to invite some reader participation. I am going to propose a list of Americas 10 finest painters I invite you to submit yours in the compliments. My nominees are, in no particular order

1) John Singer Sargent

2) George Inness

3) Winslow Homer

4) Willard Metcalf

5) Gilbert Stuart

6) Andrew Wyeth

7) Fredrick Church

8) Edward Hopper

9) Fredrick Remington

10) George Bellows

I chose these painters based of their work itself and not by their influence, which might for instance have put Thomas Cole on the list . If it were a list of the artists who I have studied the most it would include Hibbard, and if I had to choose a "modern" it would be Jacksson Pollack. To make the list each of these painters is responsible not for just one great iconic picture,or Grant Wood would make the cut, but a body of work that is both undeniably great and could only have been made by an American.

There were a whole lot of painters who were close,that might make a top 20 list, like Sanford Gifford, George Caleb Bingham, John Copley, Otis Spann, Jasper Cropsey Fitz H. Lane, Childe Hassam. Maybe one of thedse guys should be on your list. What about James WcNeil Whistler, Thomas Eakins or William Merrittt Chase. I could have used George Durrie as he was so quintessentially American, but too many of you would have asked who?
Who is on your list? Go to comments and leave your list.
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33 comments:

  1. RamonJune 23, 2009 at 2:19 AM

    I like this idea for a post, I think it's sure to fire off a lively discussion :)

    I largely agree with your choices, although I would personally replace Bellows, Stuart and Hopper with Edwin Lord Weeks, Dean Cornwell and Edmund Tarbell.

    I'm obviously biased, but c'mon, that's a damn nice picture :)

    http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e155/panchosimpson/SpanishTavern.jpg

    Best

    -Ramon

    PS. That landscape is beautiful

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  2. RamonJune 23, 2009 at 2:21 AM

    ...although to come to think of it, Lord Weeks wasn't the most American of fellows...

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  3. Bob CarterJune 23, 2009 at 7:10 AM

    Stape-

    That painting is so right and sweet I want to go home and break all my brushes. Where's it showing?

    Five of your top ten make my list, and some of your second cut do, too. If it were just what I like, Hibbard, Gruppe, Thieme, and some more of the North Shore crowd would be there, but I think they're more regionally admired, in the same way as Payne and the California painters are. These are the ones I seek out or revisit in the MFA:
    John Singer Sargent
    Winslow Homer
    Willard Metcalf
    Edward Hopper
    George Bellows
    Robert Henri
    Childe Hassam
    William Merrit Chase
    Theodore Robinson
    Benson/Tarbell (a tie)

    Bellows has a special place in my heart. Seeing his "Stag At Sharky's" as a kid in the Cleveland Museum left me gobsmacked and wanting to be a painter. It is so much more powerful in the paint than in any reproduction. (My nose prints are all over that baby.)

    -Bob

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  4. armandcabreraJune 23, 2009 at 7:40 AM

    Can I say Bierstadt since he lived here since he was two? If not then I would say Frederick Church. Sargent was born in Italy and lived abroad as much as he lived here
    Anyway this would be my list

    Albert Bierstadt
    John Singer Sargent
    Cecilia Beaux
    Winslow Homer
    Howard Pyle
    Maynard Dixon
    N.C. Wyeth
    Dean Cornwell
    Norman Rockwell
    Edward Hopper

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  5. Richard J. Luschek IIJune 23, 2009 at 12:09 PM

    I have always felt that Joseph Decamp was one of the finest, better than Sargent in my opinion.
    I would for sure include Tarbell and probably Frank Duveneck. Maybe Frank Benson.
    I am surprised to see Andrew Wyeth, as when I think of a Wyeth, N.C. always comes to the fore. Interested to hear why you chose him over his father.
    I might include Whistler, and I doubt Eakins would make my top 50.
    What about Emil Carlson? Too Swedish, I think he is one of the best still life painters that ever worked in this country- improving on what Chardin was doing.

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  6. UnknownJune 23, 2009 at 1:07 PM

    Ohh, I wish I knew enough other painters to get into this debate, but all of my favorites are on your list. One obscure guy I like is Theodore Lukits, but not his landscapes - only his portraits.

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  7. Richard J. Luschek IIJune 23, 2009 at 1:48 PM

    huh, just when you thought you knew most of the worthwhile artists, someone points out another.
    I had not heard of Theodore Lukits. Some interesting stuff.

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  8. JesseJune 23, 2009 at 2:49 PM

    I don't know about a top 10, but I would put

    JS Sargent
    Andrew Wyeth
    Winslow Homer


    in as my top three.

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  9. Mary BullockJune 23, 2009 at 5:15 PM

    I know no one will agree with me, but I would include Maxfield Parrish.

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  10. jeffJune 23, 2009 at 5:35 PM

    My list:
    Of course this can change next...


    1) George Inness

    2) John Singer Sargent

    3) Winslow Homer

    4) Fredrick Church

    5) Andrew Wyeth

    6) Thomas Moran

    7) George Bellows

    8) Willard Metcalf

    9) Whistler

    10) Frank Mason

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  11. Stapleton KearnsJune 23, 2009 at 5:49 PM

    ramon:

    Bellows was the one about which I myself was least sure. i thought long and hard about adding a Boston school painter and I would most likely have chosen Benson, or Dennis Miller Bunker if I had. However I think I will stick with Bellows.
    ....Stape

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  12. Stapleton KearnsJune 23, 2009 at 5:50 PM

    ramon:
    if you get Edwin Lord Weeks, I get Seago
    .........Stape

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  13. Stapleton KearnsJune 23, 2009 at 5:52 PM

    Bob:
    Thanks, it was in a show in Marshfield, Mass.
    I am not sure where it goes next. I keep waving it around,
    ...Stape

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  14. Stapleton KearnsJune 23, 2009 at 5:53 PM

    Bob again:
    I considered Robinson too, I decided to give it to Metcalf.
    ..............Stape

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  15. Stapleton KearnsJune 23, 2009 at 5:57 PM

    Armand:
    That's a strong list. You are the second person to suggest Beaux, those votes are now adding up,
    You have named no one who died before 1900 incidentally and I am the only one to include a painter who "hit" before 1850. I actually debated hard over whether I should use Copley instead of Stuart.
    ...............Stape

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  16. Stapleton KearnsJune 23, 2009 at 6:02 PM

    Richard:
    Thats not actually allowed, you get ONE Boston school painter only.It never crossed my mind to include Eakins. I felt a little guilty as he is held in such high esteem. Other than Max Schmidt on the half shell, I never connected with him.
    I worried over Whistler too, but I decided that he was valued as much for his personality as his art. His portrait of his mother is iconic though.The runner up on mu list was probably, William Merrit Chase, or George Caleb Bingham.
    ...............Stape

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  17. Stapleton KearnsJune 23, 2009 at 6:04 PM

    Jeremy:
    I had expected a Payne or a Wendt vote from the sunshine state
    ................Stape

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  18. Stapleton KearnsJune 23, 2009 at 6:06 PM

    Jesse:
    I think those would be about my top three also. That's really hard, Top 20 is easier.
    ..................Stape

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  19. Stapleton KearnsJune 23, 2009 at 6:08 PM

    Mary:
    But who are your other nine? There is no right or wrong to this unless you include Walter Keene.
    ................Stape

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  20. Stapleton KearnsJune 23, 2009 at 6:11 PM

    jeff:
    There's Moran and a vote for Whistler. I thought about begining my list with Inness.
    ................Stape

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  21. Stapleton KearnsJune 23, 2009 at 6:13 PM

    All,
    That was fun, Thank you all for your answers, lets do it again tomorrow!
    ..........Stape

    ReplyDelete
  22. JAMES A. COOKJune 23, 2009 at 8:22 PM

    As my painting improveS so does my knowledge of all of these great painters mentioned here in this blog. I could not name ten painters off of my head tonight but all of the painters referenced I have herd one time or another.
    STAP you told me to study good art. This blog tonight gives me a great list of painters to focus on and study. Knowing the history of great painters is just as import as learning how to paint. How else would I learn if I didn't study there work. I understand now and some day soon I will join in a conversation with you all about great painters and not just american.
    Thanks for a great blog STAPE.

    JAMES

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  23. willekJune 23, 2009 at 11:50 PM

    Hi, Stape, How big is that picture? It is just great.

    In no particular order, I would guess
    Homer
    Remington
    Joe Greenwood
    Eakins's (Shooting and sporting pictures especially)
    Frank Benson
    Dennis Miller Bunker
    Robert Henri
    Norman Rockwell
    William Merrit Chase
    John Singer Sargent
    Thomas Aquinas Daly (Still Alive)

    I am ashamed to admit I do not know many of the good American guys well as I should.


    Flointla= Italian for Flaunt it!
    sillrge= smaller windows working together to make a picture window.

    Willek

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  24. The Banks GalleryJuly 8, 2009 at 4:46 PM

    You left out many who should be considered, also there is a noticable lack of women on any list, in no particular order:

    Any of the Peales
    Henry Ossawa Tanner
    Charles Demuth
    Ernest Blumenschein
    Rockwell Kent
    Richard Diebenkorn
    Abbot Henderson Thayer
    E Martin Hennings
    Robert Motherwell
    Edward Hicks
    Chuck Close
    Ammi Phillips
    Vija Celmins
    George O'Keefe
    Wayne Thiebaud
    Maurice Prendergast
    Aurthor Wesley Dow

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  25. kasmanOctober 20, 2009 at 11:40 AM

    This is a very useful exercise because it helps us to personally define artistic merit and quality. Without such thinking, producing exceptional art is impossible. My list would definitely include, in no particular order:

    Bellows
    Ryder
    Sargent
    Whistler
    Bunker

    2nd tier possibilites might include:

    Twachtman
    Cassatt
    Eakins
    Hopper
    Bierstadt
    Church
    Hartley
    Hunt
    Homer

    dozens, maybe a hundred, of others come close, but don't quite make the top ten.

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  26. Philly MarkAugust 11, 2012 at 5:57 PM

    In my opinion - and I freely admit to being prejudiced - the greatest American painter of all is: Thomas Eakins.

    Is it any wonder that museums were clamoring for "The Gross Clinic" which eventually went for 68 Million dollars - more than any American painting in history?!

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  27. Philly MarkAugust 11, 2012 at 5:57 PM

    In my opinion - and I freely admit to being prejudiced - the greatest American painter of all is: Thomas Eakins.

    Is it any wonder that museums were clamoring for "The Gross Clinic" which eventually went for 68 Million dollars - more than any American painting in history?!

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  28. kasmanAugust 12, 2012 at 12:13 AM

    Eakins was a great painter and "The Gross Clinic" is surely worth 68 million. However, there are other iconic American paintings would likely sell for at least that number if they were to ever come to market. George Bellow's "Stag at Sharkeys" and Sargent's "El Jaleo" are just two examples.

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  29. Linda CrankAugust 1, 2015 at 5:38 PM

    Others to consider (without having read all of the above comments:
    William Merritt Chase
    Edmund Tarbell
    Emil Carlsen
    George Healy
    NC Wyeth
    William MacGregor Paxton
    Richard Miller
    Hugh Bolton Jones
    Lowell Birge Harrison
    Edgar Payne
    Granville Redmond
    Dennis Miller Bunker
    John Carlson

    It is rather heartening that there are so many that could be listed...a Happy Situation!

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  30. CraigAugust 1, 2015 at 6:17 PM

    Assuming they don't need to be dead, here's my list (no order beyond #1)

    1. Sargent
    2. Church
    3. Leyendecker
    4. Jeremy Lipking
    5. Scott Burdick
    6. Biertadt (if he counts as American)
    7. Tarbell
    8. NC Wyeth
    9. W.M. Chase
    10. Gilbert Stuart

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  31. Blondheim Art and StoriesAugust 1, 2015 at 9:08 PM

    I will add Daniel Greene to these fine lists.

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  32. Durinda Cheek, Fine ArtistAugust 3, 2015 at 7:22 AM

    So many great painters in our past!! I have to add Georgia O'Keeffe and Mary Cassatt.

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  33. kasmanNovember 22, 2023 at 6:38 PM

    I’ve fumbling around with my top ten list again …

    Ryder
    Bellows
    Sargent
    Thayer
    Whistler
    Rothko
    Twachtman
    Hartley
    Diebenkorn
    Church

    Runner ups:
    Bunker
    Cassatt
    Homer

    Probably a few different artist tomorrow.😂

    Just my 2 cents, David Kasman

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