The document compares two American folk art paintings - Aurora and George Washington at Mount Vernon - that memorialize George Washington. Both paintings were influenced by Washington's death and used him as inspiration. Aurora depicts the goddess Aurora bringing the sun and alludes to Washington ascending to heaven. It shows neoclassical influences from Europe. George Washington at Mount Vernon shows Washington at his beloved Mount Vernon estate, representing his contribution to America. Both paintings reflect the rise of watercolors and folk artists memorializing Washington as an American hero after his death.

1. Comparing American Folk Art: Aurora and George Washington at Mount Vernon
Zane Austin Willard
The University of Tampa
Professor Christy Paris
ART 269-P
Nov. 17, 2016

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Introduction: Aurora
Aurora, watercolor on silk with applied gold, foil and paper label, artist unknown from
1818-1822 is an American Folk Art painting roughly 2x2.5 ft. at the Tampa Museum of Art in
the “Self-Taught Genius” exhibit.1
Through exploring three main parts of the piece folk artistry,
watercolor technique, and its Colonial roots it can be seen how George Washington as an
American hero has impacted this painting and how outside influences still have an impact on
American folk artist. American folk artists chose to use the death and memory of George
Washington, an American hero, as an inspiration for their works in the early nineteenth century.
Visual Analysis: Aurora
Aurora, takes place in Colonial America with billowing clouds, evergreens, and rough
waves with the goddess of the morn, Aurora, sailing through the clouds bringing the sun in for
the day. The goddess Aurora, became increasingly popular in art following George
Washington’s death as he was pictured ascending into heaven with the goddess.2
The location is
most likely in the Northern Virginia area where Washington lived with the rolling green hills and
colonial architecture painted in the center left of the piece. The body of water that these hills are
situated on the coast of is most likely the Potomac River as it flows into the Chesapeake Bay.
The water is almost grey to reinforce the fact that the sun has yet to rise as Aurora brings in the
sun for the day. The water is very wavy and it seems as though the boat in the center is sailing
through rough waters, as a symbol of rough times following Washington’s death.
Aurora is sailing through the clouds in her red chariot flown by eagles, and surrounded by
her cherubs. Gold and the faint pink are two colors that are heavily used in the clouds and in
1
Wall text, Aurora, Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, FL
2
Ibid.

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Aurora. The gold is in her toga, stars on her chariot, wings of the eagles, and wings of the
cherubs. The faint pink is the same color in the edge of the clouds, her skin, the bellies of the
eagles, and the skin of the cherubs. Both colors are to represent the morning hues that the sun
typically displays as it rises, accept the idea is that Aurora brings in the colors as she brings in
the morning sun.
The very tall evergreen tree in the front right side is very distracting and lacks the
perspective and depth of the other landscape. This goes back to the fact that this is a Folk Art
piece which has a huge impact on the visual style of the piece, as the artist lacked classical
academy training. The tree is probably the most obvious part f the painting that lacks depth and
perspective, but Aurora in the sky doesn’t look like she is necessarily in the clouds, but on top of
the clouds. Now, there is a use of a horizon line, as the water breaks into the clouds and the artist
reinforces that by fading the mountains in the background so they appear in the distance and
behind the clouds. However, there is a large lack of depth and perspective knowledge from the
artist, in comparison to the trained European artists of the time such as Goya, Gericault, and
Delacroix who were also painting in 1810’s to 1820’s.
Historical and Societal Context: Aurora
Folk Art became increasingly popular in American between the Revolutionary War and
World War 1.3
It was the folk artist who captured the insight into daily life of the American
people, not the academy trained professionals. A broad range of activities were painted from
family life, occupations, and historic events were all a part of the subjects of American folk
3
Lipman, Warren, and Bishop, Young America: A Folk-Art History (New York: Hudson Hills
1986), 10.

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artist.4
As historic events were a part of the subject matter of the folk artist, the death of George
Washington was the common theme of, Aurora.
The death of George Washington was often associated with the goddess Aurora as he
ascended into heaven.5
In the 1810’s and 1820’s the Neo-Classical movement was occurring in
Europe and artists such as Kauffman and David were increasingly popular as they reached back
to the artistic roots of classical antiquity. Although, Aurora, isn’t necessarily a part of the Neo-
Classical movement there is obvious influences from the movement in Europe, as the United
States and European nations were always in constant contact and trade. First, the apparent use of
the roman goddess of the morn, Aurora in her chariot with her cherubs a node to classical
mythology. However, in neo-classical pieces it was becoming less and less popular to see gods
and goddesses, as heroes and heroines of classical antiquity became the icons of the neo-classical
movement, “As the gods, fauns, and satyrs receded into the background their place was taken by
men.”6
There is also a roman inspired structure to the far left of the painting in the hills. The
marble columns of the structure mimic that of the Pantheon in Rome, another neo-classical
influence within the painting. This is most likely a node to the Capitol Building at the United
States Capitol, and the roman inspiration for the building’s design. The Capitol Building’s
contruction was completed in 1800, and was a monumental achievement in American
architecture, so this being depicted in art is not surprising.
The medium of Aurora, was another choice driven by societal and economical abilities of
the early nineteenth century. Watercolors were becoming increasing popular in England, but
4
Lipman, Warren, and Bishop, Young America, 10.
5
Wall text, Aurora, Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, FL
6
Hugh Honour, Neo-Classicism (London: Penguin Group 1968), 44.

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they were far too expensive to import to the United States. So, G.W. Osborne of Philadelphia
began commercially producing watercolors in the United States in the 1820s and it gave aspiring
artists easy access to the medium.7
Even though the watercolors were easily accessible to the
public it did not decline the legitimacy of watercolor as a medium to the academy trained artist.
Cezanne a famous watercolor painter felt that watercolors were the “royal road of painting,” and
created vivid and lavish works in watercolors.8
Introduction: George Washington at Mount Vernon
George Washington at Mount Vernon, watercolor on paper, A.M. Tredwell is an
American Folk Art painting 14.5x19.25 in. at a private collection.9
This piece has similar
influences as Aurora with Colonial roots, folk artist technique, and a watercolor medium. An
American hero, Washington is painted at his beloved and glorious estate, to memorialize one of
the founding fathers of the United States of America. American folk artists used the memory of
George Washington as an inspiration for their works in the early nineteenth century following his
death, as he was an American hero to the people.
Visual Analysis: George Washington at Mount Vernon
George Washington at Mount Vernon, depicts Washington at his estate where the sun is
shining and the hills are lavish with greenery. The rolling hills in the front of the painting lead to
the colonial style house of the property in the center of the painting. There is an abundance of
different trees, bushes, flowers, and other plants in the rolling hills, this represents Washington’s
7
Victor Koshkin-Youritzin, American Watercolors from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New
York: The American Federation of Arts, 1991), 18-19.
8
Georg Schmidt, Water-Colours By Paul Cezanne, (New York: The MacMillian Company, 1928),
3.
9
Robert Bishop and Jacqueline M. Atkins, Folk Art in American Life (New York: Viking Studio
Books, 1995), 41.

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abundance of wealth and his contribution to the founding of America. Although the sun is
shining from the top left corner there are some dark clouds in the top right half of the painting.
This is a metaphor for the strife and argument that the founding fathers experienced as they
fought for freedom and had to collaborate as they founded a new country. However, the clouds
are not the main focus of the painting, because their argument and strife was just a small part in
the development in the great nation, and the sun is still shining on America.
Historical and Social Context: George Washington at Mount Vernon
Tredwell was a part of the class of families who began educating their children in the
“polite arts”, which involved painting. 10
Watercolor technique was exceedingly popular during
this time through the developments of Osborne and the commercialization of watercolors making
them more accessible.11
Watercolors would have been the medium most used in these
seminaries and academies that taught the “polite arts,” since they were easily mass produced and
purchased for access to these aspiring artists.12
However, these academies and seminaries were
not teaching necessarily professional techniques as the professional European artists were
learning at the time. George Washington at Mount Vernon, still lacks perspective in some parts,
even though the artist has demonstrated the use of the horizon line, the placement and depiction
of the plants on the left and right sides is distracting to the eye.
Comparison
Aurora and George Washington at Mount Vernon both are influenced by the death of
President Washington and have their interpretation of the memorial of the famed American hero.
10
Bishop and Atkins, Folk Art in American Life, 41.
11
Koshkin-Youritzin, American Watercolors, 18-19.
12
Bishop and Atkins, Folk Art in American Life, 41.

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Aurora, is the interpretation of the common theme in early nineteenth century art that
Washington was depicted in art of ascending into heaven alongside the goddess of the morn,
Aurora.13
Although Washington himself is never actually depicted, for the time period the
goddess Aurora in art was a node to the founding father’s death. Aurora also has influences from
the Neo-Classical movement that was happening in Europe at the time as not only the goddess
Aurora being influenced from the movement, but the Roman architecture in the piece, as well.
George Washington at Mount Vernon, is the memorialized President at his famed estate
on Mount Vernon in the rolling hills and lavish greens. This is a more direct memorial than
Aurora, as Washington himself is depicted at his estate. It lacks outside influences, whereas
Aurora was influenced from the European Neo-Classical movement. However, Tredwell had
received some type of training from the start up academies and seminaries for women in the
“polite arts”, whether or not the artist of Aurora received this training is unknown since the artist
is unknown.14
George Washington is a famed American hero and he is memorialized through both
Aurora and George Washington at Mount Vernon. Although one may be more direct than the
other, and one may have more outside influences and culture than the other. Both of the
paintings represent the memory of Washington and his influences on America through nature
and color. The rise of the commercialization of watercolors and the impact of the neo-classical
movement both had an impact on the paintings subject and medium.1516Overall, both Aurora and
George Washington at Mount Vernon respectably memorialize the famed American hero.
13
Wall text, Aurora, Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, FL
14
Bishop and Atkins, Folk Art in American Life, 41.
15
Koshkin-Youritzin, American Watercolors, 18-19.
16
Honour, Neo-Classicism, 44.

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Bibliography
Bishop, Robert, and Jacqueline M. Atkins. Folk Art in American Life. NewYork: Penguin
Group, 1995.
Honour, Hugh. Neo-Classicism. London: Penguin Group, 1968.
Koshkin-Youritzin, Victor. American Watercolors from The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New
York: The American Federation of Arts, 1991.
Lipman, Jean, Elizabeth V. Warren, and Robert Bishop. Young America: A Folk Art History.
New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1986.
Schmidt, Georg. Water Colours by Paul Cezanne. New York: The MacMillian Company, 1928.