Robert Hughes - American Visions - Episode 2 (part 5/5)

"The Promised Land" - an exploration of America's religiosity, and the influence of religion on American culture and art.

Go here for a playlist of all the "American Visions" uploads: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=DF4A4CCB9DB13FEF

in this extract, Hughes starts his discussion of the Virginia colonies' contribution to America with a visit to Mount Airy (near Warsaw in Richmond County) -- a mid-Georgian plantation house, the first built in the manner of a neo-Palladian villa (1758-62) for Colonel John Tayloe.

The "distressed cavaliers" of Virginia and a visit to the Shirley Plantation--Virginia's first plantation (1613). The Shirley Plantation is an estate located on the north bank of the James River in Charles City County, Virginia.

"after religion, the second freedom was the liberty to create wealth, and culture followed money, as it always does"

The some desks, chests and chairs are shown.

"The first American art that began to lift into real originality was furniture."

John Townsend (1733-1809) is discussed with his block front bureau table or kneehole chest (ca. 1765). View the entry on this piece at the Met Museum database here:
http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_art/collection_database/american_decorative...


originally aired on US television in 1997

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Robert
• Hughes
• American
• Visions
• Art
• History
• Virginia
• Shirley-Plantation
• Mount-Airy

[carsanookdotcom]

01:29 the pale child and flash forward to Ed Hopper and the Chrysler Bldg. In polished metal. Aluminum, I suppose.

The American Vision. An art documentary, par excellence!

Dr John Carsanook

Bangkok

[carsanookdotcom]

Some one said that America in those days had "no culture - only agriculture".

Dr John Carsanook

Kingdom of Thailand