'Life, Liberty' exhibit tours 300 years of American history
Published: Feb 26, 2009
Some 300 years of this nation's history is on display at Seattle Art Museum in "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness: American Art from the Yale University Art Gallery."
Yale University's gallery is one of America's oldest, and to view its works — which are touring only briefly, while the gallery is renovated — is to watch the story of this country unfold in ways that history books simply cannot tell.
The exhibition features 230 paintings, photographs, drawings, ceramics, silver works and even furnishings — just a few of the best works from the collection that Yale has been steadily building upon since 1832.
You'll see John Trumbull's iconic painting "The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776," which most of us have only seen reproduced on the back of the $2 bill; an ornate silver teapot crafted by Paul Revere; Albert Birerstadt's "Yosemite Valley, Glacier Point Trail," whose majestic, painted vista is almost as good as the real thing; and Trumbull's portrait of George Washington, a work the artist held so dear that he asked to have his remains buried underneath the spot in the Yale Gallery in which the painting was to be hung.
It's a lot to take in, but the museum's curators have arranged the works so that related historical events are easy to follow and the connections between artist and subject are clear.
"Expressions of Heritage" details the aspirations of America's first settlers. "Citizenship and Democracy" reflects the tumult and internal conflict that made the colonies into a nation, with scenes of the Revolutionary War, William H. Townsend's "Sketches of the Amistad Captives" and more.
The final section, "Cultural and Material Aspirations," reveals how the vastness and grandeur of America inspired its artists and craftsmen, from Winslow Homer's scenes of country life to artisan objects made from the country's abundant resources — its timber, its silver and gold.
"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" is a must-see, but time's limited. Come May 25, these works will return to New Haven.
- by Geoff Carter, Seattle Reporter for HelloMetro
(Click to leave a message)
