See it in 'Crossing the Divide'
A long-lost painting, Columbus’ First Landing in America (1863) by renowned American artist Emanuel Leutze (1816 - 1868), has been rediscovered and is now on display at the MOA.* A history painter of grand scenes from America’s past, Leutze is most well-known for his iconic 1851 masterpiece Washington Crossing the Delaware at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Other major works can be found at world-class museums such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the U.S. Capitol. Although Leutze established an enduring reputation as “the most eminent American history painter of the 1840s and 1850s,” he was born in Germany and immigrated to the United States at the age of 15.** He became so fond of his adoptive homeland that he forever considered himself an American, even after returning to Germany for much of his career. Leutze is particularly known today for his depictions of the American Revolution, historical figures, and the settlement of the West.
Leutze’s fascination with America’s past manifests itself in his oeuvre, as he continually focused on subjects and figures that emphasize traditional American values, such as democracy and liberty. Notably, Leutze painted seven scenes featuring Christopher Columbus. On display in our new exhibition Crossing the Divide: American Art from the Permanent Collection, Columbus’ First Landing in America is an excellent example of the artist’s fascination with the explorer. The Museum’s Curator of American Art, Dr. Isaac King, elucidates Leutze’s engagement with Columbus in his art:
"As with all of Leutze’s paintings of Columbus, the iconography of this work is derived from Washington Irving’s immensely popular 1828 A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus. Leutze’s version closely follows Irving’s text, which described the landing as the emotional climax of a perilous adventure. Leutze carefully reproduced many minute details from the text, including the time of day, the banners carried, the gestures of the crew, and the colors of their clothing. Leutze’s attentiveness to these details is interesting because it mirrors the way Irving developed his biography. Irving had traveled to Madrid to work directly from the rare primary sources, but when writing, he leaned heavily on his skills as a fiction writer, freely embellishing the narrative to create a compelling hero’s story. Both Irving’s biography and Leutze’s painting are best understood as works of romantic patriotism in which the desired affectation of the work heavily influenced their interpretation of the historical record.”
Leutze’s idealistic view of the United States inspired him to paint significant figures from American history like Columbus to promote political reform and democracy abroad and to support a unified Germany. The theatrical exultation of Columbus and his jubilant crew in this painting personify Leutze’s own nationalistic sentiments — simultaneously celebrating the establishment of the U.S. and the advancement of democracy in his own present. Leutze’s dual motivation in celebrating the past while endorsing a better future demonstrates his unique ability to bridge historical narratives and contemporary issues. This painting conveys Leutze’s ardent belief in art’s capacity to advocate for societal change. Generously loaned to the Museum by Vincent Balanky of Jacksonville, Florida, the work will be on display until 2029. Mr. Balanky lent the work from his private collection in honor of his father David and is delighted that many visitors will see the painting while on exhibition. Museum Director Dr. Janalee Emmer expressed, “We are incredibly grateful to have a painting by Emanuel Leutze at the Museum of Art and are confident that our campus and community will benefit from the dialogue and discussion that it will encourage.”
*For more information on Leutze, see Barbara S. Groseclose, Emanuel Leutze, 1816-1868, edited by National Collection of Fine Arts (U.S.) Smithsonian Institution, National Collection of Fine Arts, Washington, 1975; Jochen Wierich, Grand Themes (Pennsylvania State University Press University Park, Pa., 2012); and Ann Hawkes Hutton, Portrait of Patriotism (Chilton Book Co., Philadelphia, Pa., 1959).
**Karsten Fitz. “The Düsseldorf Academy of Art, Emanuel Leutze, and German-American Transatlantic Exchange in the Mid-Nineteenth Century.” Amerikastudien / American Studies 52, no. 1 (2007): 16.