Randuwa II: St. Louis Art Museum: American Collection

Monday, January 6, 2025

St. Louis Art Museum: American Collection

Going to the second floor of the St. Louis Art Museum over the west wing of the original building and you encounter the American Art Collections. The Galleries are also thematically arranged with a rough chronological component, as well. A smallish gallery is dedicated to the ceramic art of a local studio--very nice. A final gallery on the far end of the area is home to Native American artifacts.

One oddity was the inclusion of a painting by noted illustrator Norman Rockwell. I've seen one displayed among works considered "fine art"--now museums draw a line between illustrators and painters. There were some stunning works like a "Magnolia" painting by Martin Johnson Heade, and their most renowned work, the very famous "Jolly Flatboat Men in Port," by George Calib Bingham. I loved seeing unfamiliar works by George Inness and at least three by Albert Bierstadt. A beautiful portrait of Aaron Burr's cousin, Thaddeus caught both mine and my friends fancy. The sumptuous blue vest really grabs your attention, but doesn't over power the image--it's a magical balance from an artist (John Singleton Copley) whose talent at portraying fabric far out-weighs his knack at human faces (which not a criticism of his ability to paint the human face, but a nod to he excellence at painting fabric).

Bottomline: it's a lovely collection with sweet surprises and more than a few holes (Winslow Homer, Thomas Moran, George Caitlin, Asher Brown Durand, etc) vis a vis the general cannon of American Art.

"View of St. Louis," circa 1932

Joe Jones, 1909 - 1964

"Cradling Wheat," 1938

Thomas Hart Benton, 1889 - 1975

Thomas Hart Benton is a regional artist who is in the company of others like Grant Wood, Charles Burchfield, and John Henry Twachtman. His works are deeply associate with the state of Missouri. The rotunda of the state capitol is adorned with murals painted by Benton. When the U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp commemorating Missouri's centennial, they chose one of Benton's paintings of settlers arriving in the territory.