Visual art of The United States or
American art is
visual art made in the United States or by American artists. Before colonization there were many flourishing traditions of
Native American art, and where the Spanish colonized
Spanish Colonial architecture and the accompanying styles in other media were quickly in place. Early colonial art on the East Coast initially relied on artists from Europe, with
John White (1540-c. 1593) the earliest example. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, artists primarily painted portraits, and some landscapes in a style based mainly on
English painting. Furniture-makers imitating English styles and similar craftsmen were also established in the major cities, but in the English colonies, locally-made pottery remained
resolutely utilitarian until the 19th century, with fancy products imported.