{"id":2188890,"date":"2024-02-29T08:56:02","date_gmt":"2024-02-29T13:56:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-a-19th-century-black-painter-used-landscapes-to-chronicle-the-underground-railroad\/"},"modified":"2024-02-29T09:26:47","modified_gmt":"2024-02-29T14:26:47","slug":"how-a-19th-century-black-painter-used-landscapes-to-chronicle-the-underground-railroad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-a-19th-century-black-painter-used-landscapes-to-chronicle-the-underground-railroad\/","title":{"rendered":"19th-Century Black Painter Chronicles Underground Railroad Through Landscapes"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhow-a-19th-century-black-painter-used-landscapes-to-chronicle-the-underground-railroad%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2188890&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"article-content\">\n<h2>Unlocking the Hidden Messages in Robert \u2064S. Duncanson&#8217;s Landscapes<\/h2>\n<p>Why\u200b would\u2063 a free black man \u2063go\u200b to the South during the time of slavery? And not just to visit, but\u2063 to paint numerous landscapes, risking\u2064 life and limb?<\/p>\n<p>This was a\u200b question art dealers \u200dMichael and Julie Meyer asked themselves when they started collecting the paintings of 19th-century landscape artist, Robert S. Duncanson (1821-1872). \u2062Duncanson was a black man and a highly regarded artist in the Hudson River School \u2063(HRS). The HRS was made \u200dfamous\u2064 by the father of American landscape art, \u200cThomas Cole. Artists associated\u2063 with the HRS featured the virgin\u200b forests and landscapes of the\u2063 wild and untouched \u2062American terrain.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The answer to the \u2063Meyers\u2019\u200d initial question of a black \u200cman voluntarily painting \u2064landscapes in the \u200dSouth has led them to discover perhaps one of the most fascinating artistic journeys in \u200bAmerican art history. \u200dThe beautiful landscapes \u2064Duncanson painted\u200b were not just\u200d created\u2063 for his own pleasure or as \u200dmementos of the South but can\u2064 be read in a much more\u2064 intriguing light.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>The Hidden Maps of \u200bFreedom<\/h3>\n<p>They were encrypted visual maps within compositions of\u200c detailed ridgelines, water sources, and gorges leading north as a pathway for those seeking\u200d freedom. In his paintings, Duncanson embedded the code \u200cwords and necessary maneuvers used in the Underground Railroad that \u200cabolitionists of the day would understand. The Meyers\u2019 working theory is that members of the Underground Railroad used these images and smaller \u2063sketches\u200d to familiarize\u200c runaways with the \u200bterrain of \u200cthe next\u2064 stop in their journey \u200bnorth.<\/p>\n<p>Since first\u200d discovering his work, the\u200b Meyers \u200chave now identified 46 \u2062of Duncanson\u2019s landscapes, all of which are featured \u2062at their gallery, <a href=\"https:\/\/meyerfineart.gallery\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Meyer \u200bFine Art<\/a>, an hour outside of\u200b Washington, D.C., in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The exhibit has been curated by Michael, an art historian\u2062 and recognized expert\u200c on \u2063Duncanson.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The spark \u200cthat got the couple thinking about Duncanson\u2019s motives was an 1850s article\u2062 from the Ashville\u200c Messenger, based\u200d in North Carolina, that accompanied \u2064one of his paintings sent to \u2062auction in 2003. The article\u200c featured the many places Duncanson had painted up to that point and laid out the map of how Duncanson\u2064 came to Asheville. As he \u2063traveled, he sketched the Cumberland Gap, towards Knoxville to\u2064 pick up \u200dthe French\u200c Broad River, sketched at Hot Springs then south to Asheville, Black Mountains, and Hickory Nut Falls.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>Unveiling the Symbolism<\/h3>\n<blockquote>\n<p>After years of research, the \u200cMeyers \u200bcan unpack the hidden elements from Duncanson\u2019s\u2063 paintings. The untrained\u200b eye sees a generally placid countryside, but \u2063there is much more at work. \u201cIn Duncanson\u2019s painting titled \u2018The Gospel Train,\u2019\u201d says Michael, \u201cthe imagery\u200c of the slave song \u2018Swing Low, Sweet Chariot\u2019 is brought to\u200d life.\u201d He \u200bcontinues:<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters body-xs m-0\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-4\">\u201cThe Gospel Train.\u201d Courtesy of Meyer Fine\u200b Art.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Comparable meaning is evident\u2063 in\u2064 \u201cCrossing the Swannanoa \u2063River at the Seven Sisters North Carolina\u201d (c. 1851). Julie writes:<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>As stated, \u200dthe image does draw the \u200beye across a river, \u2063back and forth, and \u200bthen\u2062 finally up into the peaks of the Black \u2064Mountains. This composition as \u200da whole can be read \u200cas a\u2064 visual map of a technique runaways must learn \u200cto\u2064 successfully escape. When \u2064taken together, the exhibition\u2019s works piece together routes \u2062taken \u200cnorth via the Underground Railroad; each work includes detailed ridgelines and \u2062water sources \u2062that are recognizable still today.<\/p>\n<p>This interpretation of Duncanson has been largely dismissed or overlooked by art historians until recently. \u200dThe Meyers attribute Duncanson\u2019s unknown motives to \u2062the fact that\u200b very few people spoke about the Underground Railroad in the generations following the Civil War because those \u200binvolved could\u2063 have been implicated in \u2062dangerous ways. It is only recently that Duncanson\u2019s \u2064story is \u2063being told.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200c display of <em>\u201cLandscape with\u2063 Rainbow,\u201d chosen by First Lady Jill Biden for the 2021 Inauguration, unleashed a torrent of articles featuring the interpretation of the painting by curators\u200b and art critics. It \u200bwas \u200ctheir general belief, at the time, that the painting \u2063was a foreboding image\u2062 about the Civil \u200cWar with a hopeful sentiment. Art critic Christopher Knight \u2062with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/entertainment-arts\/story\/2021-01-20\/biden-inauguration-painting-robert-duncanson-landscape-rainbow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Los Angeles \u200bTimes<\/a> wrote in \u200c2021, \u201cDuncanson\u2019s rainbow precedes the brutal devastation of the Civil War that erupted the next year. \u2064\u201cLandscape With Rainbow\u201d is a\u2062 cautionary image, painted as the seams of the American union were being pulled apart. But it carries with it\u2062 an unmistakable ray of\u200c hope: Rainbows \u2063typically\u200d appear\u200b after\u2064 a storm has passed,\u200d not before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/entertainment\/museums\/biden-inaugural-painting-robert-duncanson\/2021\/01\/28\/58ccd5a8-5fe2-11eb-9061-07abcc1f9229_story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Washington Post<\/a>, article of Jan. 28, 2021, the Smithsonian American Art Museum\u2064 curator,\u2064 Eleanor Harvey, who\u200b helped Jill \u200cBiden select \u200c\u201cLandscape With Rainbow,\u201d offered a different\u200d interpretation of Duncanson\u2019s\u200b work. \u201cHe\u2019s looking for \u200dpeace,\u201d she\u200b says. Harvey praises the \u200c\u201ctherapeutic \u2063quality\u201d conveyed \u2063in\u2063 his paintings.<\/p>\n<p>In the spring\u2062 of 2021, Michael Meyer \u200dfirst shared his research with\u2062 Eleanor \u200bHarvey. Now\u2063 after the exhibition and the publication of\u2063 its companion\u200c catalog, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/meyerfineart.gallery\/order-catalog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Robert \u2063S.\u2064 Duncanson and His Courageous\u2062 Southern Travels<\/a>,\u201d word is getting out. In the January-February 2024 edition of American \u200dFine \u2064Art Magazine, the Smithsonian \u2064curators are quoted commenting about \u201cLandscape \u2063with\u200b Rainbow,\u201d echoing Michael \u200bMeyer\u2019s interpretation of Duncanson\u2019s narrative theme, making better sense of\u200b the painting\u200c while setting the \u200drecord straight about Duncanson\u2019s larger\u2062 project.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThe rainbow\u200d overhead \u2062falls directly onto the roof, possibly a reference to safe houses to\u200c which \u200censlaved people fled while seeking\u200c freedom. The stream reminds us of the division between free states\u2064 and\u2064 slave states, but waterways also helped escapees on their path to freedom, as water erased footprints and masked human scent,\u201d the author writes.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Duncanson\u2019s Underground Railroad efforts may not have ever \u200dcome \u2064to \u200clight if the Meyers hadn\u2019t done the careful work of curating and \u200b\u201creading\u201d what Duncanson was\u2063 doing broadly \u2064in\u200b his work. Duncanson knew well the\u200b fragility of\u200c freedom. \u2063It was a theme that \u200cpunctuated much of\u2062 his work and motivated his life. When speaking of \u2062race, Duncanson, who \u200bhad \u2064seen the best\u2062 and\u200d worst of \u200chumanity, wrote in a letter \u200bto\u2064 his \u200cson, \u201cI have no color on the\u200d brain, all I have on\u2064 the brain is paint. \u2026 I \u2062care not for\u2062 color. Love is my principle,\u2064 order is the basis, progress is the end.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As the Meyers explain, \u201cThis\u2062 was a \u200dfather teaching his son not to judge by the color of one\u2019s skin but \u200cby the\u2063 character of a man.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>No\u2064 matter how important Duncanson\u2019s work was for \u200bthe Underground Railroad, the Meyers are quick \u2062to add\u200d that he \u200bwas also a\u200d remarkable and renowned artist of his time, touring widely throughout North America \u200cand Europe. \u201cAs important his intentions \u2063were for the Underground Railroad,\u201d says Michael, \u201cit \u2062cannot be lost \u200bthat \u200cDuncanson was first and foremost\u200c an artist, above any skin color, his passion was to render beauty itself, and in this endeavor alone, aside from all else, he achieved \u2064with excellence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps \u200dsomeday, the work of Duncanson and his roadmap to freedom\u200b will become a\u200b well-known\u2064 part of \u2062American history, but until then, do yourself a favor\u2064 and go see his work in Fredericksburg.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What role \u200cdid Duncanson&#8217;s\u2063 paintings serve\u2063 as guideposts\u2062 for \u2064those seeking liberation via the\u200c Underground Railroad?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Ense of the hidden \u2064messages within his artwork.<\/p>\n<h3>The \u200cLegacy\u2062 of\u200c Robert S.\u200b Duncanson<\/h3>\n<p>Robert S. Duncanson&#8217;s legacy as \u200ban \u2063artist is being reexamined and redefined. His landscapes,\u2062 once\u200c seen as mere representations of nature, are now recognized as powerful symbols of freedom and resilience. The Meyers&#8217; collection of Duncanson&#8217;s paintings sheds light on the artist&#8217;s daring and his\u2064 contribution\u2062 to the abolitionist movement.<\/p>\n<p>Duncanson&#8217;s use of encrypted visual\u200b maps within his compositions reveals his involvement with the \u200bUnderground Railroad, a\u200b network\u200d of secret routes and safe \u2064houses used by enslaved people to escape to freedom\u2063 in the North. The hidden \u2062code words and\u200b maneuvers depicted in his paintings served as guideposts \u2063for those seeking liberation. These images would familiarize runaways \u2063with the terrain of their journey, enabling\u200c them to navigate the treacherous path to freedom.<\/p>\n<p>The exhibition at Meyer Fine Art showcases 46 of Duncanson&#8217;s \u2062landscapes, meticulously curated by \u2064Michael Meyer, an expert on Duncanson&#8217;s work. The collection unravels the \u200chidden elements\u200c within each painting, \u200dshowcasing \u200dthe\u2064 ridgelines, water sources, \u2064and\u2064 gorges that served as\u200b crucial markers for\u200b escaped slaves. These details, still recognizable today, provide\u200c a tangible\u2063 connection to the past\u2064 and the struggles faced by those fighting for freedom.<\/p>\n<p>For years, Duncanson&#8217;s motives and the true meaning behind his paintings were \u2064overlooked or dismissed by art historians. The silence surrounding the Underground Railroad in the aftermath of the Civil War contributed to\u200b this oversight. However, recent interpretations of Duncanson&#8217;s work\u2062 have brought his story to \u200dthe forefront of American art history.<\/p>\n<p>The selection of Duncanson&#8217;s painting, &#8220;Landscape with Rainbow,&#8221; by First Lady Jill Biden for the 2021 Inauguration sparked widespread\u2064 interest and \u200ddiscussion. While some \u2062initially viewed the painting as a representation of the impending\u2062 Civil War, curators and art critics have offered alternative interpretations. Christopher Knight, an art critic for \u200cthe\u2064 Los Angeles Times, sees the rainbow in Duncanson&#8217;s\u2062 painting\u200b as a symbol\u200d of\u2064 hope\u200b in \u200bthe face \u2064of turmoil. \u200dEleanor Harvey, a curator\u2063 at the Smithsonian American \u200cArt Museum, emphasizes the therapeutic quality of Duncanson&#8217;s work, \u200bsuggesting that he sought\u2063 peace through his \u200bart.<\/p>\n<p>As Michael Meyer&#8217;s research gains recognition, the understanding \u200band appreciation of Duncanson&#8217;s paintings continue \u2062to evolve. \u200bThe exhibition and catalog, &#8220;Robert S. Duncanson and His Courageous Southern Travels,&#8221;\u200c have contributed to \u2062the dissemination of this newfound knowledge. The Smithsonian \u2062curators\u2064 themselves have \u2063commented on the significance\u200c of Duncanson&#8217;s narratives and themes, aligning with Meyer&#8217;s interpretation of the artist&#8217;s work.<\/p>\n<h3>The Importance of Uncovering Hidden Narratives<\/h3>\n<p>The rediscovery of\u2062 Robert \u2064S. Duncanson&#8217;s hidden messages within his landscapes not only redefines his artistic legacy but also sheds light on the history of\u2064 the Underground Railroad and the struggles of enslaved people seeking freedom.\u200c These paintings serve as visual reminders\u2063 of the courage,\u200d resilience, and resourcefulness of those who fought against the injustices of slavery.<\/p>\n<p>Uncovering hidden narratives within art is \u200ccrucial for a comprehensive understanding of history and the significant contributions \u2062made by marginalized individuals. Duncanson&#8217;s \u2064ability to encode messages of freedom within his \u200dpaintings demonstrates the \u2062power of art as a tool \u2063for activism and social change. It challenges \u200bus to\u2064 reevaluate our assumptions and embrace a more inclusive perspective\u200c on\u200b American art history.<\/p>\n<p>The journey\u2062 of discovery undertaken by \u200cart dealers Michael and Julie Meyer is a testament to the importance of \u200dcuriosity and exploration. Their dedication\u200d to uncovering the hidden maps and messages in Duncanson&#8217;s\u2062 landscapes has brought forth \u200ba new understanding of\u200d his artistic\u200d intentions and the historical context in which he worked.<\/p>\n<p>Robert S. Duncanson&#8217;s landscapes not only captivate us with their\u2064 aesthetic beauty but also invite us to delve deeper into the complex and often\u200d untold stories of \u2063America&#8217;s past. As more research and scholarship emerge, Duncanson&#8217;s role in the abolitionist movement and his \u200bartistic\u200c contributions will continue to be celebrated and studied,\u2063 ensuring that his extraordinary journey and the hidden messages\u200b within his paintings \u200dare not forgotten.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Art dealers Michael and Julie Meyer were intrigued by the audacity of 19th-century landscape artist Robert S. Duncanson, a free black man who ventured into the perilous South during slavery to paint countless landscapes. They pondered why he took such risks, prompting their collection of his remarkable artworks<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":692,"featured_media":2188891,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Screen-Shot-2024-02-28-at-3.42.04-PM-1024x555.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2188890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Screen-Shot-2024-02-28-at-3.42.04-PM-1024x555.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2188890","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/692"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2188890"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2188890\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2188891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2188890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2188890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2188890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}