America: A History In Art: The American Journey Told by Painters, Sculptors, Photographers, and Architects - Tapa dura

The rich history of America, from before the time of Columbus right up through the present day, is told as never before in this unique pairing of vivid narrative with beautifully reproduced fine art - paintings, sculpture, architecture, and photographs.From the earliest Native Americans through the explorers and early settlers, the fight for independence, the expansion west, the war between the states and those on foreign soil: each era and key event of America's history unfolds in clear prose, documented by significant fine-art images.

Throughout the history of the United States, the nation’s struggles and triumphs have been depicted in myriad forms of artistic expression. Painters, sculptors, photographers, and architects have created a visual record that allows us to return to the nation’s birth and watch its life unfold. America: A History in Art tells this extraordinary story in a compelling narrative illustrated by a vibrant succession of artworks.

In this unique volume, more than 300 full-color images accompanied by engaging text recount the journey from prehistory to the present. Throughout, special features highlight notable events and individuals and focus on some of history’s most defining moments. Beautiful “galleries” of art at the close of each chapter include the finest images of the era under discussion.

The parallel stories of the nation’s history and its artistic evolution bring the past to light in intriguing ways. Artifacts from prehistory tell the story of the lands’ indigenous people. The county’s first maps show the exploration and expansion carried out by settlers as they penetrated inland. The advent of photography around the time of the Civil War brings the reality and savagery of battle home as never before.

As America continued to grow and change, so did its schools of art. Utilitarian structures gave way to edifices of power—the Woolworth and Empire State Buildings among them. Painters such as Grant Wood, Edward Hopper, Thomas Hart Benton, and Georgia O’Keeffe created new, distinctly American voices. The depths of the Great Depression gave rise to the surge of WPA commissions celebrating the strength and ingenuity of the American people. Further eras of turbulence and transition—World War II, the Cold War, the Space Race—shaped today’s mosaic society, and our artists responded at every turn. Each work exhibited on the pages of this incredible volume is an expression of some aspect of America’s past; together they illuminate the rich