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By Bob Thompson, Mason, Ohio
Mammoth Cave has always been considered a work of art. One of nature’s grandest curiosities, the cave has been explored by many. Some wrote detailed descriptions, while others made drawings of its vast interior, but only a few ever attempted to create paintings of the cave. These masters of art had a desire to present the cave as one of the most remarkable scenes in nature.
Landscape painting was the first American art to be called a national style. Many landscape artists relied on close observation and natural light to create believable views of the world around us. In a cave, this can be more difficult because there is no natural light. The only light available consisted of oil lamps, burners and torches. Amazingly, artists were able to bring out the most striking details of the cave. The colors used in the paintings were vivid and gave remarkable definition to the cave’s interior. Paintings of the cave show the vast darkness as well as the limited reaches of artificial light. In all, the artists’ paintings appear to bring out Mammoth Cave’s most hidden and well-guarded secrets to the world.
The following distinguished landscape artists made sketches and painted in the depths of Mammoth Cave.
- Marie-François-Régis Gignoux (1816-1882) was a French landscape painter who was active in the United States from 1840-70. Gignoux visited Mammoth Cave in 1843 and painted a view of the cave entrance and the extensive Rotunda. At the bottom left is a party of four people. On the left is probably cave guide Stephen Bishop, with his torch-throwing stick and supplies for the cave trip carried around his shoulders. To the right of the guide is the artist, Gignoux (wearing the hat) and his tools of the trade to paint the underground wonder. To the right of the artist is Gignoux’s assistant seated in front of a rock with the artist’s selection of colors. Above the assistant, climbing up a ladder, is another cave guide with a number of lamps to help illuminate the darkness. What looks like a roaring fire actually is a number of the open-flame lamps brought together, which put out a great deal of smoke.
- Robert Montgomery Bird (1806-1854) was a 19th century author from Philadelphia. He gained literary acclaim in Philadelphia, New York and Boston as well as overseas. Bird complemented his literary career with drawings, photography and music compositions. He visited Mammoth Cave in June 1833 and October 1835 and produced three watercolor paintings as well as the first known drawing of the cave entrance and the earliest known drawing of lodging for tourists at Mammoth Cave.
- Danish-American artist Ferdinand Richardt (1819-1895) primarily painted landscapes, castles, manors and tourist attractions. Mammoth Cave National Park has in its collections 16 Richardt original cave sketches that were donated to the park by a descendant of Richardt’s. Included are two original sketches of “Echo River.” Richardt described “Echo River”: “In this picture are seen two boats with visitors [and a dog], the guides [Mat and Nick Bransford] standing in front of their respective boats. The one in the background is illuminated by the lamps, which are used in the expedition and are placed in the middle of the boat, and the other in the foreground stands in the full blaze of a large burning pile on the right-hand side, which throws its reflection in the water. This scene is one of the grandest that can be imagined, and the effect of the light in the darkness above is wonderful. A young man who is standing in the middle of one of the boats is represented in the act of raising his voice to call forth one of those curious and melodious echoes for which this river is celebrated. It may interest many to know that this river abounds in a kind of small fish, something of the shape of a whale and who are entirely devoid of the sense of sight.”
- In 1857, Clement Reeves Edwards (1820-1898) moved to Bowling Green and set up a studio where he not only painted portraits but also was a photographer. In August 1858, he visited Mammoth Cave to sketch and paint the famous Bridal Chamber in the cave. The oil painting is in the collections of the Kentucky Library and Museum on the campus of Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green.
- Carolus (Carl or Carlos) Brenner (1865-1924) was the son of the prominent Louisville artist Carl Brenner. In August and October of 1882, Brenner went on a “sketching trip” to Mammoth Cave to start and finish a large canvas of the entrance of the cave. His October trip lasted two weeks. By 1890, the oil painting was finished and on exhibit in Louisville. It is in the collections of the Filson Historical Society in Louisville and can be found on the first-floor library/south parlor of the Ferguson Mansion.
The depth and beauty of each one of these exceptional pieces of art are a sight to see. If you ever get the opportunity to see any of these historic drawings and paintings on display, check them out!