Art is constantly changing, as artists are always finding new inspiration and experimenting with new forms of beauty in their artwork. Even within the relatively short history of America, dozens of new artforms and styles have risen and fallen in popularity. Here, we’ll explore some of the artwork of America throughout the years.
Native American Artwork
There were already millions of inhabitants of what is now America before it became its own nation and grew westward. Although it’s very reductive to say that Native American art came from just one group, the indigenous peoples of America created some of the most beautiful artwork you’ll ever see, from jewelry to paintings and fabrics. You can still find tribes and nations around the country selling their handmade art.
A New Nation’s Art
The start of modern art in the USA came after the Revolutionary War. The first modern American art you can still see is the architecture of the day, which drew inspiration British and neoclassical sources. This eventually transformed into Beaux-Arts architecture.
A very intriguing fact about the art of this area, which you can see reflected in the use of metal, is that resources were scarce, so people turned useful objects into art to conserve those resources. You can see this more clearly in the history of metal artwork in America; artists often turned metal utensils and iron fittings into beautiful decorations.
Painting and Landscape Artwork
As time went on and the country focused on expanding westward, paintings of landscapes became popular, depicting the amazing new sights to see. As with all art, the styles that artists used for these landscape paintings also changed over time.
Photography
After its invention, photography became a well-loved art medium across the world, and especially in America. As cameras became better over time, it became the premier form of art across the country—now, people post pictures on social media every day, and new movies and TV shows come out all the time.
This is just a glance at the artwork that America has seen through the years. Covering all the different forms of art—even from just the past few hundred years—would be impossible, but hopefully, you now have a better understanding of the vast changes in art that happen all throughout history.