Asher B. Durand’s Painting Thanatopsis

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Discussion
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Thanatopsis is a painting by American artist Asher B. Durand, and it was inspired by William Cullen Bryant’s poem Thanatopsis. Both the painting and the poem encapsulate the feeling of veneration in the face of life and death. The concept of poetry inspiring artists is highly common, with multiple lyric poems encouraging the creation of various musical pieces and paintings (Martin, 2018). An artist’s interpretation of a work of art depends on their frame of mind.

Discussion

The poem Thanatopsis was written by Bryant when he was in his early twenties. The name of the poem comes from a Greek word that means “view of death.” Despite the grim subject matter, this work proclaims a sense of calm that comes from the inevitability of death and shows how one can find peace in nature and its harmony. Durand’s painting displays a similar notion as it uses warm colors to depict a funeral and a farmer doing his work with rich nature and a bright blue sky as a background. The choice of subject matter and the literary influence is not accidental in this case. Durand’s preference was impacted by the death of his teacher, Thomas Cole (Beebe, 2018). The selection of literary influence and artistic means, such as the contrast of man’s daily life and funeral, made by the painter speaks of the need to calm his pain.

Conclusion

In conclusion, an artist’s choice of influence is a matter of their own state of mind. As in the case of Asher B. Durand’s Thanatopsis, a viewer can find the artist’s personal hardships or fortunes in the ways they decide to interpret a literary work. Durand’s painting and Bryant’s poem highlight the inevitability of death and the harmony of the world that comes from death’s innate nature.

References

Beebe, A. (2018). “Only surpassed by the light of revelation”: Asher Brown Durand’s Thanatopsis. Religion and the Arts, 22(1-2), 79 –94.

Martin, F. D. (2018). Humanities through the Arts. [VitalSource Bookshelf]. Web.

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Asher B. Durand’s Painting Thanatopsis

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