Perspectives of the Civil War

Perspectives of the Civil War

The American Civil War was fought during 1861 to 1865, and it was a war about freedom, liberty, and equality. The Union (the north) fought against the Confederates (the south), and 620,000 people died in this war which is almost the number of American casualties in the two world wars and the Vietnam War combined. The victory of the north abolished slavery in the southern United States, prevented England from recognizing the Confederate States of America as a country, and singularized the United States. This reunion of the north and south directed the nation to embrace industrialization and a centralized government. France was not on any of the sides during the war, since they abolished slavery in 1848, and they did not want to be involed in a war about the slavery policy of another nation. 

The civil war was the first large worldly historical event that was recorded by photography. The development of this media enables people to see the process of the war from other countries. Artists from different countries also devoted artworks to the Civil War, and if photography is the objective record of history, other forms of artwork can be interpreted as the subjective proof of history. This show will be a series of oil paintings focusing on the end of the Civil War and the different perspectives of artists from different regions. Unlike the European artists’ focus on depicting the negative scenes of the battle, the American artists did more genre paintings that showed the optimism towards the restoration of America.

The Battle of the USS "Kearsarge" and the CSS "Alabama"

Edouard Manet

1864

Oil on canvas

Manet is one of the curious French people who flocked to see a piece of the significant event. He was inspired by the battle in Cherbourg, and he devoted two paintings to the USS Kearsarge that was anchored near Boulogne. This battle happened in an international territory near the north coast of France, and the CSS Alabama which was an raidar outfitted by the Confederates. In Manet’s early life, he wanted to join the navy, and his interest in the sea inspired him to join the rendering of this naval battle. This is the first painting that he did of this battle, and he depicted the scene of the battle of the CSS Alabama sinking in the middle of the top, and the smaller ship that is closer to the viewers has a french flag on top of it. The grey smoke that is coming out of the sinking CSS Alabama suggests the dark side of the Civil war.

The "Kearsarge" at Boulogne

Edouard Manet

1864

Oil on canvas

This is the second painting of the American Civil War naval battle in Cherbourg. The main character of this painting is the Kearsarge, the warship of the Union. Similar to the painting of  The Battle of the USS "Kearsarge" and the CSS "Alabama", this painting also has two thirds portion of sea, and the color of the sea and the intensity of the waves showed different stages of the battle. This painting is after the Kearsarge successfully sank the Alabama, and the sea is calming down more. The tilted boat on the right side of the painting gives us a feeling of hard navy life during the war. Because it is held by the wave, and it seems it can be tipped over by the waves too. 

The Green Wave

Claude Monet

1866-67

Oil on Canvas

It is widely known that Monet (a French artist) and Manet influenced each other, and Manet even did a painting of Monet and his family. Art historians assumed that this painting is influenced by Manet’s The "Kearsarge" at Boulogne and The Battle of the "Kearsarge" and the "Alabama" , it is very clear that they both have the same composition of two thirds of the ocean but with darker blue, and the ship is placed on the top middle of the painting. Art historians also suggested that he may have incorrectly dated the date, he originally dated 1865, but he actually did this painting after he visited the Normandy Coast.

The Veteran in a New Field

Winslow Homer

1865

Oil on Canvas

Winslow Homer is an American artist, and this painting was painted after the Union won the Civil War and President Lincoln was assassinated. We can tell that the figure in the painting is a Union Veteran by the canteen and his jacket in the right bottom corner. This is a reflection of the understanding of war and a bright expectation of America will restore on the path of the north had laid after the war. Different from the paintings of the French painters Manet and Monet, instead making a historical painting, Homer recorded a daily life change after the war. This painting shows the positive attitude of believing in the sacrifice of America and its recovery.

Aurora Borealis

Frederic Edwin Church

1865

Oil on canvas

Frederic Church is a famous American landscape painter, an interesting fact that he is Thomas Cole’s student. Similar to Winslow Homer, Frederic Church also did not choose to do a historical painting to depict the Civil War, instead, he did a landscape of typical northern view of the aurora borealis to demonstrate that he supports the Union and condemns the Confederates advocating slavery. This painting is based on his explorer friend Issac Hayes’ sketches of the northern lights, and the ship sailing smoothly next to the iceberg in this painting expressed his positive attitude about the future of America under the govern of the Union.

Christmas Time, the Blodgett Family

Eastman Johnson

1864

Oil on canvas

This is a painting of group portraits of the Blodgett family from America. William Tilden Blodgett collected artwork and helped founding the Metropolitan Museum of Arts and the newspaper The Nation, and he is also a supporter of the Union. Eastman Johnson was also an important co-founder for the Metropolitan Museum, and he is famous for his genre paintings. He was highly influenced by 17th century dutch art. The black dancer toy held by the little boy implies the slavery issue which was the fuse for the Civil War, but the happy family gathering scene showed the artist has a hope and a positive attitude that America will recover and be better after the war.