Robert Seldon Duncanson — The sad fate of the greatest African-American Romantic painter

During the 19th-century, the Romantic movement gave the world numerous highly talented artists around Europe and outside its borders. Their visions on this movement might have been different, but they all followed the same idea — nature is a mighty force, and its majestic scenery deserves to be depicted in a most accurate way.

For artists like the African-American painter Robert Seldon Duncanson, the Romanticism period was a chance to express themselves in landscape painting while also adding some light notes of symbolism. And it is not only the possible racial metaphors some art critics believe Duncanson depicted in his works. The idea of Romanticism itself hid a lot of controversial motifs.

A Dream of Italy (1865) by Robert Seldon Duncanson. Oil on canvas, 52.3 cm x 88.9 cm.

Duncanson was a gifted artist, who learned everything by himself — with patience and dedication. While most of the European painters had a chance to try themselves into art academies and learn from the experienced masters, the descendant of the slaves in the United States had to figure out his way into the world of art.

Working on the copies of the famous artworks helped Duncanson develop a great skillset. His travels to Europe served as a great source of inspiration for personal works.

The native of Fayette, New York, explored the works of European Romantic painters. Looking at Duncanson’s paintings, you can see how well-detailed the depiction of landscapes is. He adds warm, light color tones, and the emphasis is clearly aimed at the beautiful scenery of nature. The painter follows one of the unwritten rules of the Romanticism period landscape painting — nature goes above the human.

Untitled (Landscape) by Robert Seldon Duncanson. Oil on canvas, 61 cm x 66 cm.

Most of Duncanson’s paintings feature a single or several human figures. They all are just small pieces, surrounded by scenic landscapes. Proportions play a big part here. Every figure looks tiny compared to the whole scene. The mood of Duncanson’s works is very calming. Many of these figures are depicted peacefully enjoying the scenery and admiring nature. Some are fishing or traveling by a river in a boat.

While Joshua Johnson was the first black painter, who earned some recognition for his works, Duncanson was a more influential figure in terms of his fame. His works were known and respected not only within the borders of the USA but also in Europe.

The quality of his artworks was on the level with the masters of Düsseldorf school of painting or any other European artistic group. Duncanson’s skillset helped to earn him recognition in the United Kingdom, where the prestigious London Art Journal declared him a master of landscape painting.

Unfortunately, the later stage of Duncanson’s life was overshadowed by his mental health problems, including dementia. The causes are unclear, but one of the possible was lead poisoning.

It led to the deterioration of his health, and while he continued to work on the creation of Romantic paintings, a comeback to a healthy state of mind was no longer possible. When the painter died in 1872, he was only 51 years old.

Duncanson managed to take out most of the abolitionist movement during his lifetime. Of course, the level of racism black artists and common people faced in the 19th-century is incomparable with the 21st-century realities.

The people back then lived in a much tougher and cruel environment. Still, some people showed sympathy towards black artists, like Duncancson, and it gave him the opportunity to travel, learn from the other Romantic masters, and eventually, build his own artistic legacy.

This movement did not carry that much of an influence, as it did in the European countries, but Dunancson’s name should be always mentioned alongside Thomas Cole, Asher Brown Durand, Jasper Francis Cropsey, and many others. The golden generation of the American Romanticism period.

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