In his 1862 notes, Emmanuel Leutze described the central image as a scene of immigrants, having labored to the top of the hill, observing the flat, golden West spreading before them with the rocky, cold “valley of darkness” at their backs. What can we learn about the ideals surrounding westward expansion from this artwork? How do artists employ symbolism to augment a specific message in their work? Observing details and analyzing components of the painting and then placing them in historical context enables the viewer to interpret the artist’s overall message It advocates Manifest Destiny, the belief that it was America’s divinely ordained mission to settle and civilize the West – an alliance between nation-building and religion. The painting celebrates the belief that the American West held both unspoiled beauty and infinite promise for a better future. Capitol) during of one of the most tumultuous times in American history – the onset of the Civil War. The completed Capitol dome mural was finished in one month, April 1865, the same month in which the Confederacy surrendered and Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.ĭownload a Teaching Poster PDF of Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its WayĮmanuel Leutze painted Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way (mural study, U.S. This mural was also painted during the Civil War and was intended to serve as a symbol of the Union’s steadfastness and as a celebration of the nation’s greatness. At the center is its founding father, George Washington, surrounded by allegories of American inventions and leaders which helped put this country on the path to greatness. Artist Constantino Brumidi has focused on the eminence of America. The theme of American destiny continues in another Capitol mural study, this one for the dome on the Capitol Building. This was something that was sorely sought after the time – for at the time this work was painted, the Civil War had just begun. The finished mural, located in the United States Capitol Building, served as propaganda for many Americans looking for a brighter future. Frontiersmen had to be willing to face the risks inherent in migration – but had their parents not faced similar risks in coming to America? They had to be willing to do the backbreaking work required to turn a wilderness into prosperous farms and towns – but had their ancestors not done that as well? They had to be willing to break with the familiar and comfortable, and face hardship – perhaps even death. The settlers have overcome hazardous terrain and death in order to reach the American West, bathed in a welcoming golden light.This vision of the frontier as a promised land persisted. The idealized depiction of settlers who have reached the promised land of the west is depicted in Emanuel Leutze’s mural study Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way. The philosophy describing the necessary expansion of the nation westward was called Manifest Destiny the belief that it was our duty to settle the continent, conquer and prosper. Study for the Apotheosis of Washington in the Rotunda of the
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