Traveling Artists: The Influence of Location on Artwork

This thesis is an investigation into artists, mostly circa the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist periods who traveled and the influence their locations have on their artwork. Eugene Delacroix and his paintings The Death of the Sardanapalus and The Sultan of Morocco and His Entourage is discussed as a starting point for being one of the first artists to garner inspiration from his travels and incorporate it into his artwork. Vincent Van Gogh is used as an example of an artist who was impacted emotionally by his environment, which was then expressed via his paintings. Paul Gauguin is discussed as the archetype of artists who travel, using his location as a direct influence and subject matter. Finally, Henri Matisse lauds the benefits of travel as inspiration and character improvement. Two or three of their respective artworks are briefly analyzed by how their travels influenced their artwork. In addition, the author examines her own experiences traveling to foreign countries and created six canvases in an attempt to capture her own impressions and immediate associations of the countries. The foreign countries separately depicted in each of the six canvases include Spain, Mexico, Jamaica, Canada, France, and the United States