I.

Introduction

American Art and Architecture, the European tradition of architecture, painting, sculpture, and related arts as developed in North America (subsequently in the United States) by early colonists and their successors, from the 17th century to the present day.

In its early days, American art and architecture was heavily influenced by styles already highly developed in Western Europe. In the course of the 19th century, however, the new nation created distinctively American variations on European models. Finally, by the end of the 19th century in architecture, and by the middle of the 20th century in painting and sculpture, American masters and movements had become world leaders. This growing artistic authority reflected the increasing prosperity and political dominance of the United States. Because of the great size of the country, regional variations developed within this mainstream of artistic growth. Areas that had been settled by different European nations reflected their early colonial heritage in artistic forms, particularly in architecture. Similarly, climatic variations across the country helped to shape distinctive regional architectural traditions. In addition, differences persisted between the art produced in cities and that produced in rural areas: rural artists, trained or untrained, were more isolated from current trends and competitive pressures and developed highly individual modes of expression. This type of American art sometimes falls within the tradition of folk art or naive art. Although this article is concerned essentially with architecture, painting, and sculpture, which are traditionally considered the major visual arts, it must be remembered that—especially during colonial times—the decorative arts have played a major role in American culture. Silver in the 17th century and furniture in the 18th century, for example, reached particularly high levels.