Something Beautiful

American stories

How could I possibly have missed this special exhibition, and the accompanying website, on paintings that tell American Stories? Looks like it has a lot to offer. The exhibition is divided into four parts:

Inventing American Stories: 1765–1830 (13 works)

Stories for the Public: 1830–1860 (28 works)

Stories of War and Reconciliation: 1860–1877 (24 works)

Cosmopolitan and Candid Stories: 1877–1915 (38 works)

As just one example, have a look at Tea Leaves, 1909, by William McGregor Paxton. You'll need to use the large version, of course.

For an especially nice detail, you could try this: go to Francis William Edmonds' painting The New Bonnet (1858), enlarge it, and check out the great produce in the lower right corner. Makes me want to eat!

Note: This exhibition reminds me of two other online exhibitions devoted to Americana: Picturing America (at the NEH) and Seeing America (actually a book published by RIT).

Americans who tell the truth

This artist celebrates dozens of American heroes in his series Americans Who Tell the Truth.

Jefferson Lectures (NEH)

I've been a fan of the NEH's Jefferson Lectures for a long time.

If you poke about a bit, you might come across a very nice online exhibition called Picturing America. It was published in connection with 2008 lecture, given by John Updike. Updike addressed the question "What is American about American art?"

Panoramas (North American landscapes)

The online exhibition Panoramas: The North American Landscape in Art has been around for a good few years. It offers Canadian, American and Mexican art, a lot of it quite good. There's a useful site map and a terrific search page.

Seeing America

The art museum at the University of Rochester has placed online the entire contents of its wonderful book, Seeing America.

Thoreau's cabin

The site of Thoreau's cabin was discovered in 1945. If you're a Thoreau fan, you'll enjoy some of the other photos at this site too.

Our new president

I'm not going to celebrate today with a clip or a quote from the inauguration (although I'll probably put Reverend Lowery's prayer up one of these days.)

Instead, here's a beautiful man who moves with grace and elegance, and I love to think of him like this -- Barack on the Ellen Show, when he was still a mere Senator.

Tall thin black dude + neat lesbian white lady = magic in America.

William H. Johnson: Retrospective

The AAM portion of the Smithsonian site has quite a nice exhibition on African-American artist William H. Johnson. 

All fifty-three works presented are listed, complete with thumbnails, in the checklist section. (9 pages)    

The exhibition's curator has identified six major themes.  Three of them are  --       

• Journeys (8 works)
  
• Scenes of City and Country Life (5 works)
• War Effort (4 works)
  

But I feel a strong preference for the remaining, perhaps more personal, three --        

• Family and Friends (6 works)
• Fighters for Freedom (6 works)
• Women Builders (1 work, 7 details) (personal favorite)

 

American Graphic Masters

Graphic Masters is the title of an online exhibition at the the American Art Museum site (part of the Smithsonian Institute).  Here are three works that especially appealed to me --

Excelsior Geyser, Yellowstone Park, 1873, by Thomas Moran (watercolor, pencil)

November First, 1950, by Andrew Wyeth (watercolor)

August Breakfast, Maine, 1997, by Carolyn Brady (watercolor) 

And here is another that I like very much --

Ezekiel Saw the Wheel, c. 1943, William H. Johnson (tempera, pen and ink, pencil)

and that I have selected especially because it somehow reminds me of that very special contemporary American artist, Girl from the North Country.   

Early American Quilts

The American Art Museum, a division of the Smithsonian Institute, has an online exhibition featuring Early American Quilts.

Of the eighteen or so examples provided, these are the two I personally liked best --

Appliquéd Quilt, 1818, by Ann Dagge

Friendship Quilt, 1843–45, by unknown maker.