Bust and Full Length Figure (from Sketchbook) 1796 - 1886

Asher Brown Durand made this pencil sketch, “Bust and Full Length Figure,” sometime during his career as one of the leading figures of the Hudson River School. Durand’s attention to the figure here is notable because the Hudson River School was overwhelmingly focused on landscape. One can read this image, therefore, as speaking to the institutional pressures faced by American artists in the 19th century. The Pennsylvania Academy and the National Academy of Design dictated a hierarchy of subject matter with landscapes at the bottom. To be taken seriously, a painter also had to demonstrate skill in portraiture and figure studies. Durand, who served as president of the National Academy, knew this as well as anyone. Indeed, his sketchbooks are full of such studies. They indicate an artist who was deeply invested in the project of self-improvement, an artist who was always learning from the masters and striving to meet the expectations of the Academy. If you want to understand Durand, you can look to his paintings, of course, but you should also look at the institutional structures that shaped his career.