SAN ANGELO, Texas — Landscape as a subject for painting was not highly regarded in the European tradition and until the late 19th century was rarely more than background for portraits, history and allegorical painting.
American artists had a different viewpoint. In this "New World" of vast spaces, the land was a subject of great fascination and awe. The first recognized group of American artists was the Hudson River School. These artists reflected upon the natural beauty of the Hudson Valley in upstate New York. Although only a short distance from New York City, this was for a brief period a wild rugged frontier area for residents less than a hundred miles away.
The rapid expansion of the American frontier meant that less than a quarter of a century later, artists were painting the majesty of places such as Yellowstone more than 2,000 miles west of New York. The works created by these artists also played a significant role in encouraging the westward expansion, or "manifest destiny," and rapid growth of population and development of our nation all the way to the Pacific Ocean.
Geographically diverse Texas has held great fascination for artists. Texas landscape has also had a mythical presence in the American imagination — somewhat skewed by Hollywood. Many western films depicting Texas were often filmed in the desert regions of Southern California and Nevada. In reality, large areas of Texas were forested or flat open plains and grasslands or gently rolling hills quite different from the way the movies depicted Texas.
There is, however, the reality of majestic mountains defining the background of vast open vistas devoid of large cities, industry and super highways. The Texas of imagination exists in reality in the sparsely populated region of Southwest Texas generally in the area of the Big Bend and the Davis Mountains. This region can truly leave visitors awe-struck in its vastness and ever-changing beauty.
The San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts is especially pleased to have organized a magnificent exhibit reflecting upon the beauty of the Texas landscape. The exhibit, titled "All About Texas," includes four exhibitions featuring artists who have been all about Texas in their travels and in their great love for this magnificent state.