One of the most remarkable artists in the Cedarhurst collection is John Singer Sargent, an American by birth, who lived his entire life based in Europe. Born in Florence, Italy to wealthy American parents, Sargent often traveled to America for commissions, but settled permanently in London. Sargent was the preeminent society portraitist of his […]
John Singer Sargent Read More »
Since the time of the Greek philosopher Plotinus, Beauty has been regarded as inextricably linked to Truth. Modern writers John Ruskin, Walter Pater, and Oscar Wilde shared this conviction. In appraising Beauty, we sense something greater than the sum of the form’s parts. No single attribute defines the object, it is a cumulative effect. During
Beauty, Truth, and a New Year Read More »
The word “object” can be associated with art through three related, though differing, meanings. For this essay, I use it to mean first and foremost, the actual work of art itself. The term will also employ the second, and related meaning, to mean the “goal” of art; what does art strive to accomplish? Third,
The Myth of Icarus & The Object of Art Read More »
The personification of Woman began when we looked to the sky and named a planet, Venus. Woman as allegory can stand for a variety of conceptualizations. The Ideal of Woman as quintessential Other has been appropriated endlessly to personify conceptions: Nature, Nations, Ships…, as well as the promise of Democracy and Freedom. Today, “Goddess” does
The Allegory of Freedom Read More »
The founding of the United States by Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, John Adams and others was inspired, in part, by the thinkers of the French Enlightenment. The Enlightenment, or Age of Reason, was a movement itself inspired by recent discoveries in science particularly the work of Issac Newton. The study of nature using inquiry
Jefferson & Diderot Read More »
This exhibition explores the product design and evolution of some of our most cherished tools, the telephone, the clock, and the camera. And many others. Along the way, we discover that some of our most important, like the smartphone, though incredibly well-designed, and without a doubt, now indispensable, may not be the most sustainable and best
Smithsonian’s “Things Come Apart” Read More »
What could the 18th-century and the 21st-century possibly have in common? Two things: a love of knowledge, and a love of takings things apart to see how they work. See Things Come Apart and Jefferson & Diderot blogs. The Encyclopédie gathered current knowledge in written essays and illustrations to make it available beyond aristocrats and scholars. A side-by-side comparison; left,
Encyclopédie, Smithsonian, & Cedarhurst Read More »
Semiotic analysis uses an approach which connects signs (images, words, or sounds) to codes through which we frame the world for understanding. Codes can be social, scientific, aesthetic, mass media, or ideological, to name a few. Codes are conventions or frameworks through which signs are given force and significance. Every work of art is a
The Semiotic Hay Cart Read More »
Spring brings the joys of symbolic rebirths; and not a moment too soon for 2021. Daffodils seemingly by magic materialized yesterday in my back yard and that moment triggered my return to our Childe Hassam, The Table Garden from 1910. FREDERICK CHILDE HASSAM, Dorchester, Massachusetts (1859-1935), The Table Garden, 1910, Oil on canvas, Gift of John
In this week’s blog, we celebrate three permanent collection artists: Jiyong Lee, Arthur Towata, and Cheonae Kim. JIYONG LEE, South Korea (b.1971), Cube Segmentation, 2014, Cut and carved glass, color laminated, Museum purchase with funds provided by the Cedarhurst Collectors Club, 2015.01 Jiyong Lee on the metaphors in his art: “The segmentation series is inspired by my
American Artists of Asian Heritage Read More »
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Cedarhurst Center for the Arts
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Mount Vernon, IL 62864
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