Non-Native Hawaiian Art

Non-native Hawaiian art began with the arrival of the first westerners to the island and was characterized by the work of the Volcano School.

Learning Objective

Discuss how non-native produced Hawaiian art differs from indigenous Hawaiian art

Key Points

While Polynesians arrived on the island of Hawaii 1,000-2,000 years ago, the first westerners did not arrive until Captain James Cook and his crew became the first Europeans to visit the island in 1778.
Some of the first westerners to visit Hawaii were artists, who sketched and painted Hawaii's people and landscapes using imported materials and concepts.
The Volcano School was a group of non-native Hawaiian artists who painted dramatic nocturnal scenes of Hawaii's erupting volcanoes.
Some of the artists of the Volcano School also produced watercolors, which, by the nature of the medium, tended to be diurnal.
Two volcanoes on the Island of Hawaii, Kilauea and Mauna Loa, were intermittently active during the 1880s and 1890s, when interest in Volcano School paintings peaked.

Term

diurnal
Happening or occurring during daylight, or primarily active during that time.

Full Text

Overview of Hawaiian Art

The Hawaiian archipelago consists of 137 islands in the Pacific Ocean that are far from any other land. Polynesians arrived there 1,000-2,000 years ago, and in 1778 Captain James Cook and his crew became the first Europeans to visit Hawaii. The art created in these islands can be divided into traditional Hawaiian art; art produced by recently arrived westerners; and art produced by Hawaiians incorporating western materials and ideas.

Art Produced by Non-Native Hawaiians

Early Exploration

Some of the first westerners to visit Hawaii were artists—both professional and amateur. Many of the European invaders' ships had professional artists on board to record their discoveries and document the landscape, people, flora, and fauna of the region. These artists sketched and painted Hawaii's people and landscapes using imported materials and concepts. Artists in this category include Alfred Thomas Agate (American 1812-1849), Jean Charlot (French 1898-1979), Robert Dampier (English 1800-1874), Joseph Henry Sharp (American 1859-1953), and many others. Night scenes of erupting volcanoes were especially popular, giving rise to the Volcano School.

The Volcano School

The Volcano School was a group of non-native Hawaiian artists who painted dramatic nocturnal scenes of Hawaii's erupting volcanoes. Some of the artists also produced watercolors, which, by the nature of the medium, tended to be diurnal. Two volcanoes on the Island of Hawaii, Kilauea and Mauna Loa, were intermittently active during the 1880s and 1890s, when interest in Volcano School paintings peaked. Getting to Kilauea, the more frequently painted volcano, required an arduous two or three day roundtrip journey on horseback. Printmaker and art educator Huc-Mazelet Luquiens called this period "a little Hawaiian renaissance".

Jules Tavernier's painting 'Full Moon over Kilauea', 1887

Jules Tavernier was a member of the Volcano School, a group of non-native Hawaiian artists who painted dramatic nocturnal scenes of Hawaii's erupting volcanoes.

Jules Tavernier (French 1844–1889) was arguably the most important Volcano School painter. Other artists include Ernst William Christmas, Constance Fredericka Gordon Cumming, Charles Furneaux, D. Howard Hitchcock, Ogura Yonesuke Itoh, Ambrose McCarthy Patterson, Titian Ramsey Peale, William Pinkney Toler, William Twigg-Smith, and Lionel Walden, among others. A selection of Volcano School paintings is usually on display at the Honolulu Museum of Art.

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