Introducing American art of the early modern period through the work of its leading masters.  We trace the interaction between American and European art worlds during a period of dynamic change - including the colonial period, the exploration of the western territories and the Civil War.  Finally, we see the growth of a new centre for art: from a place at the periphery of the European art work American would develop a rich and sophisticated art scene by the end of the 19th century.  In the course of this survey we look at the work of some of America's leading artists:  including John Singleton Copley, Frederic Edwin Church, Mary Cassatt and George Bellows.