who comissioned leutze's westward the course of empire makes its way

by Norene Johnson IV 9 min read

Captain Montgomery C. Meigs

Why did Leutze not include slaves in westward the course of Empire?

Captain Montgomery C. Meigs, superintendent of construction of the Capitol extensions and new Dome, commissioned the 20-by-30-foot mural in July 1861 for $20,000. In preparation for painting the mural, Leutze traveled to the Colorado region in …

What is westward the course of Empire takes its way?

Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way generations, and as a token of a nation’s glory, that (mural study, U.S. Capitol), 1861 oil on canvas, 33 1∕4 × 43 3∕8 in. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Sara Carr Upton Background Information for Teachers Emanuel Leutze’s painting depicts a group of weary

What did Leutze paint at the US Capitol?

Emanuel Leutze painted Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way (mural study, U.S. Capitol) during of one of the most tumultuous times in American history – the onset of the Civil War. The painting celebrates the belief that the American West held both unspoiled beauty and infinite promise for a better future.

Who is Enmanuel Leutze?

Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way (mural study, U.S. Capitol), 1861, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Sara Carr Upton, 1931.6.1 ... Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze. 1846 oil on canvas The Countess. Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze. 1838 oil on canvas Bird Nesting. Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze ...

Who painted the Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way?

Emanuel LeutzeWestward the Course of Empire Takes its Way / ArtistEmanuel Gottlieb Leutze was a German-American history painter best known for his 1851 painting Washington Crossing the Delaware. He is associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting. Wikipedia

What does Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way represent?

This painting represents the concept of Manifest Destiny, the belief, popular in the mid-nineteenth century, that Americans were destined by God to settle the continent westward to the Pacific Ocean.

Where is the Course of Empire displayed?

13 Greenwich Street, New York CityCole designed these paintings to be displayed prominently in the picture gallery on the third floor of the mansion of his patron, Luman Reed, at 13 Greenwich Street, New York City.

What museum has the Course of Empire?

The Course of Empire, along with the rest of Reed's collection, became the core of the New-York Gallery of the Fine Arts. That group of works was donated to the New-York Historical Society in 1858, forming the foundation of its acclaimed collection of American landscape painting.

Who painted Westward Ho?

Emanuel LeutzeWestward the Course of Empire Takes its Way / Artist

How does the American Progress painting represent manifest destiny?

Gast uses his painting to tell the message that the United States is destined to expand West. Technology, such as railroads and telegraph wires, is moving west as well as many people. Gast is trying to encourage interest in moving west.

What does the Course of Empire represent?

Starting in 1833 Thomas Cole spent 3 years creating The Course of Empire — a series of five paintings describing the arc of human culture from 'savage wilderness' through high civilization and it's inevitable destruction.

Is Thomas Cole a famous painter?

Thomas Cole (February 1, 1801 – February 11, 1848) was an English painter known for his landscape and history paintings. He is regarded as the founder of the Hudson River School, an American art movement that flourished in the mid-19th century.

In which painting of the Course of Empire do two children fight each other?

The Consummation of EmpireA detail in the lower right of the third painting in the series, "The Consummation of Empire", shows two children, maybe brothers, fighting, one clad in red and the other in green - the colours of banners of the two contending forces in "Destruction," which thus might depict a foreshadowed civil war.

Which heavenly body appears in the painting desolation?

This is the last painting in Thomas Cole's "Course of the Empire" series. As you view the series, you'll notice that the sun rises, then moves across the sky. Finally, in this last painting, it has set and is replaced by a dim moon partially obscured by shreds of clouds and reflecting eerily off the water.

How many paintings did Thomas Cole paint?

Thomas Cole - 142 artworks - painting.

Where did the painting "Westward the course of empire takes its way" come from?

Literary reference. The painting takes its inspiration from the closing lines of George Berkeley 's Verses on the Prospect of Planting Arts and Learning in America: Westward the course of empire takes its way; The first four Acts already past, A fifth shall close the Drama with the day; Time's noblest offspring is the last.

What does Leutze mean by "Godlike"?

2 godlike. 3 of, relating to, or associated with religion or worship. the divine liturgy. 4 of supreme excellence or worth) pilgrimage to the Promised Land of the western frontier.

What is the name of the mural in the Capitol Building?

Smithsonian Institution. Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way (also known as Westward Ho) is a 20-by-30-foot (6.1 m × 9.1 m) painted mural displayed behind the western staircase of the House of Representatives chamber in the United States Capitol Building. The mural was painted by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze in 1861 and symbolizes Manifest ...

What is the imagery of the pilgrim gesturing on a high rock?

The imagery of the pilgrim gesturing on a high rock is very similar to the 5 cent postage stamp, Fremont in the Rocky Mountains, that was part of the 1898 Trans-Mississippi Issue and reprinted a century later.

Who made the print of the train called Westward?

A photographic print and a stereograph by Alexander Gardner, both of an 1867 end-of-track frontier construction train, were titled Westward The Course of Empire Takes Its Way .

What is the valley in the painting?

Within the right hemisphere of the painting is a depiction of a valley, representing the Valley of Darkness and symbolic of the troubles faced by explorers. The imagery is familiar imperial iconography and is regarded as a symbol of American exceptionalism and the realization of Manifest Destiny, ultimately leading to the evolution ...

What does the emptiness of the Golden Western landscape mean?

The emptiness of the golden western landscape, which in actuality was home to Native American tribes at the time, suggests the mass expulsion of Native populations from their homelands before the Civil War.

Who coined the phrase "Manifest Destiny"?

Pair this artwork with the excerpt below from John Louis O’Sullivan’ s editorial on the U.S. annexation of Oregon Territory (at the time claimed by Great Britain) from the . New York Morning News,December 27, 1845. O’Sullivan, an American columnist and editor, is credited with coining the phrase “Manifest Destiny.”.

Who painted the rolling descent of California?

Background Information for Teachers. Emanuel Leutze’ s painting depicts a group of weary travelers on their journey westward as they catch their first glimpse of the rolling descent to the “promised land” of California. A band of frontiersmen leads the migrants, clearing a path toward their destination.

Who was John Frémont's wife?

Literary Connection. Pair this artwork with a letter, excerpted below, from John C. Frémont to his wife, Jessie Benton Frémont, dated January 27, 1849. John Frémont made his reputation leading survey expeditions into the West, particularly California.

Overview

Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way (also known as Westward Ho) is a 20-by-30-foot (6.1 m × 9.1 m) painted mural displayed behind the western staircase of the House of Representatives chamber in the United States Capitol Building. The mural was painted by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze in 1861 and symbolizes Manifest Destiny, the belief that the United States was destined fo…

Content

Leutze combined pioneer men and women, mountain guides, wagons, and mules to suggest a divinely ordained pilgrimage to the Promised Land of the western frontier. Within the left half of the picture is a depiction of the entrance to the San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate, which is being pointed to by the pilgrim seated atop the rock in the foreground. Within the right hemisphere of the painting is a depiction of a valley, representing the Valley of Darkness and symbolic of the tr…

Literary reference

The painting takes its inspiration from the closing lines of George Berkeley's Verses on the Prospect of Planting Arts and Learning in America:

Influences

The imagery of the pilgrim gesturing on a high rock is very similar to the 5 cent postage stamp, Fremont in the Rocky Mountains, that was part of the 1898 Trans-Mississippi Issue and reprinted a century later.
A Currier and Ives print from 1868 uses the same title and theme for a very different print, showing a railroad crossing a new settlement as the train goes west.

In popular culture

David Foster Wallace named one of his short stories "Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way" in his 1989 collection Girl with Curious Hair.
Early revisions of the 1995 computer game Oregon Trail II depict the study version of this painting on the title screen.