American Progress by John Gast, 1872

Link to Painting: https://www.google.com/search?q=%E2%80%9CAmerican+Progress%E2%80%9D+by+John+Gast&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjUhf6njbnZAhVkF2MKHVXIAFIQ_AUICygC&biw=1246&bih=560#imgrc=_ John Gast painted this picture in 1872 for George Crofutt, the publisher of a popular series of western travel guides. Analyze this painting. Consider taking the following steps to help you to write about the painting before you begin the assignment: - List the people, objects and activities that you see. - Write one sentence that describes what the artist was trying to paint - Make a list of the artistic choices – color, character, objects – in the painting. Based on analysis, write an essay that addresses the following questions: 1. What did the artist want us to think about American movement westward? What is the message that the artist is trying to convey? 2. What do we need to know about 19th Century history in order to understand this painting? 3. What kinds of artistic choices did the artist make to convey his message about expansion? 4. How is this picture related the idea of Manifest Destiny and Frederick Jackson Turner’s “Frontier Thesis”? 5. How does the artist’s depiction of westward expansion relate to other primary and secondary sources about expansion that we have considered in the course? Please discuss the painting in relationship to at least one other source that we have used in class, from either current or previous weeks. You can use a source that supports what the artist is trying to say, or demonstrates that the artist leaves out important information. 6. Pose one discussion question about this painting. What do you think is important to talk about with regard to the artist’s portrayal of expansion?