Exploring Horizon Line: Southern Landscapes from the 19th Century to the Present

Elliott Daingerfield (American, 1859 - 1932) Mountain Showers, 1906. Oil on canvas. On loan from the Private Collection of Bonnie & Jamie Schaefer. Photo: Josh White About the program: This program is presented free to the public through the generosity of the Bryant and Nancy Hanley Foundation. This lecture will explore how Southern landscape painters captured the terrain of the American South. From the craggy ridgelines of Appalachia to the humid stillness of the Louisiana Swamp, artists rendered the region not merely as scenery, but as mythic space—charged with history, identity, and atmosphere. Special attention will be given to artists who frequently explored and sketched the wilds of the Blue Ridge Mountains. About the Speaker: Located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, The Johnson Collection offers an extensive survey of artistic activity in the American South from the late eighteenth century to the present day. A private collection of more than 1,400 works, the collection seeks to advance public interest and academic scholarship in the dynamic role that the art of the South plays in the larger context of American art. Sarah Tignor has been an integral member of the Johnson Collection for over eighteen years. Serving as The Johnson Collection’s Director, Sarah holds an Art History undergraduate degree from Converse University as well as a Master of Arts in Museum Studies from Johns Hopkins University. Her curatorial work is focused on 20th century artists from the American South, arts connected to the experimental enclave of Black Mountain College, and mid-century women creators. A California native, Sarah has called Spartanburg home for the past 19 years where she and her husband and young son enjoy the area’s vibrant arts culture as well as the beautiful Carolina outdoors.