Wednesday, June 24, 2009

The second ten

George Durrie, Winter scene in New Haven from artrenewal.com

The first ten were pretty easy, here's where the going gets tough. The second ten in my opinion are:

!) William Merrit Chase

2) James McNeil Whistler

3) Sanford Gifford

4) Childe Hassam

5) Norman Rockwell

6) George Caleb Bingham

7) Frank Benson

8) Thomas Moran

9) Celia Beaux

10) Aldro T. Hibbard ( that might be crazy, but I think he is Americas most underrated artist, indulge me, I've got the conch)

This is a lot harder, and it is much more about individual preferences, but give it a shot. Who is on your list from 10 to 20? I will however set this rule, for fairness sake. If you haven't already weighed in on a top 10 , but want to play, please begin with your top 10 before going on to 11 to 20.

This is obviously a matter of opinion and a game besides so there is no wrong answer. I had about ten revisions before I settled on my second 20 and I didn't use George Durrie only because you would have heckled me. I love his stuff. I also felt like the following artists might have looked good on the list, Jasper Cropsey, John Kensett, Thomas Cole, John Singleton Copley, Reginald Marsh, and Albert Bierstadt.

No one asked about Otis Spann?

This is I think going to be a more varied list than the last, and I am looking forward to see who you will choose, after having been influenced by others choices for the top 10 list.

I get my new laptop at the end of the week, and I will change gears and do more art tutorial stuff, although art history is real important. You need to know what good art looks like in order to make it.

10 comments:

Bob Carter said...

Stape-

You’re right, this is much harder and a lot more personal. Most would have one or two of the Hudson River painters, but I’ve never been fond of their over-the-top sentimentality and forced luminism. Bingham and the like were important in the history of American art, but they were second rate compared to what was going on in Europe. I’m much more a fan of the American impressionists, so my list is heavy on them. Most have already been mentioned, but what’s with ignoring Mary Cassatt? I’d agree with you on Dennis Miller Bunker (love his “The Pool, Medfield”), but he didn’t live long enough to have full impact. Here they are in rough chronological order:
1. Fitz Hugh (aka Henry) Lane (Now that’s luminism!)
2. James McNeill Whistler (Unique, but technically sound?)
3. Mary Cassatt (Only American of the original impressionists.)
4. Thomas Eakins (But too dependant on photography.)
5. Edmund Tarbell (Demoted from yesterday’s tie with Benson.)
6. John H. Twachtman (A leader with no followers.)
7. J. Alden Weir (Quintessential American impressionist).
8. Edward Willis Redfield (One of my heroes.)
9. Norman Rockwell (Finally taken seriously, but much is too sentimental.)
10. Andrew Wyeth (The dean of American representational painting.)

This was fun, but with a purpose. Your statement “You need to know what good art looks like in order to make it” should be in all caps.

-Bob

willek said...

That Durrie... Black White Red Yellow.

Off to Vineyard to paint in the rain, and errands. No time this a.m. Maybe later on my Touch The ferry has wifi. Willek

armandcabrera said...

My Second string would be, in no particular order

1 Willard Metcalf
2 William Merritt Chase
3 Thomas Moran
4 Edward Redfield
5 Dennis Miller Bunker
6 Ed Blumenschein
7 William Wendt
8 Joseph Lyendecker
9 Edwin A. Abbey
10 Andrew Wyeth

Being a California boy I’m surprised how few Western painters made the list
You got an east coast bias going on! There are some good painters west of the Mississippi. These are just a few
Edgar Payne
Thomas Hill
Nicholai Fechin
Guy Rose
T. C. Steele
Armin Hansen
Victor Higgins
Maurice Braun
Jack Wilkinson Smith
Hanson Puthuff
Granville Redmond
Paul Lauritz

Unknown said...

I would add Mary Cassat, Edgar Payne, and even though he's a sculptor, Daniel Chester French (very underrated in my opinion).

Stapleton Kearns said...

Bob:
Glad someone got Redfield and Lane in there!There are so many good painters.
.......Stape

Stapleton Kearns said...

willek;
Have a good trip to the islands.
............Stape

Stapleton Kearns said...

Armand;

Of those is there one you would put in the top 20?

Edgar Payne
Thomas Hill
Nicholai Fechin
Guy Rose
T. C. Steele
Armin Hansen
Victor Higgins
Maurice Braun
Jack Wilkinson Smith
Hanson Puthuff
Granville Redmond
Paul Lauritz

..............Stape

Stapleton Kearns said...

Jeremy:

The sculptors are, again in no particular order

Hiram Powers
Paul Manship
Homer st. Gaudens
Daniel Chester French
Donald Delue
Anna Hyatt Huntington
Fredrick William Macmonnies
Walker Hancock
Fredrick Hart
Horatio Greenough

..............Stape

ready to do poets?

Ramon said...

If we do poets I'll work on getting posthumous American citizenship for Oscar Wilde.

The rest of my 20 are:

1.Duveneck
2.Hawthorne (Mainly for his fishermen paintings)
3.Chase
4.Guy Rose
5.Harvey Dunn
6.Harry Anderson
7.NC Wyeth
8.JC Leyendecker
9.Copley
10.Beaux

armandcabrera said...

Stapleton,

I think I could easily swap Higgins, Rose or Fechin into my top twenty.