American art history focus of Crystal Bridges’ first pavilion

Editor’s note: This is another story in an ongoing series about the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville. Previous stories covered the opening of the museum, the connections made by the artwork in the museum and the cuisine of Crystal Bridges.

story by Ken Kupchick, special to The City Wire

At first peek, the sleek lines of the Safdie-designed structure along with Roxy Paine’s beckoning stainless dendroid sculpture give every indication you have arrived at a place of modern significance.

The elevator descends to a kinetic sculptured courtyard and a stark modern lobby that then gives way to the expansive view of dining bridge and pond views. The modern is quickly displaced upon entering the first art pavilion. It is time to view the art of the Colonials and early settlers. The cool greens and rich jewel tones evoke a feel of significance and heritage.

The expanse of the space draws the visitor to follow the curved right wall to the main gallery. There, the earliest works in the collection are presented for first view. Six Dutch-influenced naïve works attributed to Gerardus Duyckinck introduce us to members Levy-Franks family. This collection of work is considered the earliest depictions of Jewish American settlers as well as the largest collection of paintings from the Colonial period. Each work is delivered in similar style and staging. They ground the room.

Across, the seductive Colonist, Mrs. Theodore Atkinson, Jr., waits. Painted by John Singleton Copley, richly painted taffetas and velvets present our seductress in fine detail as a loosely painted gold chained squirrel offers a playful distraction. Although amusing, it is clear the artist is mesmerized by this lady as he paints her in lovely detail. Sapphire earrings, pearls and lace keep us focused on this Bostonian as columns and sky are flattened in the background.

Coyly, Benjamin West’s “Cupid and Psyche” again bring rich detail where the artist wants our attention with murky points of story and interest in the corners of the work. West is considered the first U.S. artist of international renown. This initial collection brings full tilt the continued European influence that was brought from the Old World into the new.

Moving forward in both time and space, the Franks family paintings give way to portraits that document something more important than opulence and heritage. Two portraits of George Washington are presented apart from one another to permit separate contemplation.

Charles Willson Peale’s portrait presents a younger, rosy-cheeked George in full battle array.  It’s a truncated version of a full length painting that hangs in Philadelphia. Gilbert Stuart, on the other hand, presents the President more as a statesman. Featuring scroll and sword, the President is painted with reverence. Look for George’s signature on the scroll and the American flag on the battleship. If you pull out your wallet, I bet you a dollar you just might see a resemblance on your dollar bill. Coincidentally, both works are the same size and present the President from the left looking right.

Two more strong portraits to note include the commanding full length portrait of Colonel Samuel Boyer Davis by Thomas Sully and another incredible work by Gilbert Stuart, William Smith. Again we see the nobility of reds and blues in the Sully portrait with neutral grays and browns serving as the background. Sully captures the six foot three inch tall Army hero from Delaware in a commanding, almost Napoleonic, pose. The Sully work is the largest in the gallery.

The second Stuart work in the gallery shows regard for Dr. Smith with a sensitive expression and delicate writing hand and respect for his standing at the University of Pennsylvania by depicting symbols as an educator and theologian.

Portraits give way to politically charged scenes, everyday life in America and an embrace of the untamed frontier. John Krimmel’s “The Village Politicians” twists the British work by the same name to reflect how the same scene would play out in a Philadelphia tavern. Richard Caton Woodville gives us the class disparity and racial undertones of the times in “War News from Mexico.” Francis Guy’s “Winter Scene in Brooklyn” presents the characters the artist saw each day out of his studio window back when Brooklyn was more like Bentonville. Guy presents a sense of community. Krimmel and Woodville give us a community of opinion.

Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait gives us “The Life of a Hunter:  A Tight Fix.” The viewer is given the task of completing the narrative for a hunting trip gone awry. It is easily the most pointed at and discussed painting in the room.

There is a small gallery space within this art pavilion. It now presents small works by George Catlin. Going forward, it will be interesting to see how the curators work with this intriguing space. For now, we get to experience Catlin’s detail in depicting the West.

Back in the main gallery, a Catlin work, “Indian Encampment,” illuminates a moment in the life of an indigenous South American tribe. In this space, we get the same sense of community provided by Francis Guy’s Brooklynscape.

The influence of the Hudson River School and the newfound love of the Americas command most of the rest of this first art pavilion. These are artworks often seen over the living room couch, and for good reason. In viewing John Frederick Kensett’s “View of Mount Washington,” be certain to notice the Native Indians in the foreground and consider their relevance. Jasper Francis Cropsey presents “The Backwoods in America,” which romanticizes the notion of the American pioneer. The foreground of this painting is a tipped tombstone amid the pumpkin patch. Still, Thomas Cole’s “View of Mount Etna,” a Sicilian scene, and “The Good Shepherd,” a pastoral landscape based on Psalm 23, may seem like the exception.

It’s easy to go bonkers over works by Thomas Moran and “Valley of the Catawissa in Autumn” is perhaps the best way to do it. It offers a Pennsylvania scene that easily feels like a drive up I-540. By the way, this Moran painting was hanging over the sofa of a home in Springdale. Likewise, William Trost Richards, “Landscape,” similarly feels at home. Landscape deserves close inspection for its detail while Moran is commanding near or far.

The works of Cole, Frederic Edwin Church (a protégé of Cole’s) and Kensett masterfully flank and pay homage to Asher Brown Durand’s “Kindred Spirits.” These are the leaders of the American landscape school and on one wall, it is easy to understand why. It’s only natural that Cole’s work is one of those pieces as the artist is depicted in the foreground with poet William Cullen Bryant.  The homage to Cole and his friendship with Bryant is equal in importance of the homage to man and nature in “Kindred Spirits.” Just like Crystal Bridges itself.

Equally on your list of American masters is Martin Johnson Heade. The “Gems of Brazil” series offers the artist’s study of flora and fauna. A wall of 16 images is presented.  “Haystacks,” which comes to the museum from Alice Walton’s personal collection, offers a sense of serenity without parallel. It will behoove you to pay particular attention to Heade’s work, “Cattleya Orchid, Two Hummingbirds and a Beetle,” as your recollection of this work will come in most handy in the temporary exhibit, “Wonderworld” later in your museum day.

The first art pavilion serves as an incredible foundation for a whirlwind day of American art history.