Time and Thought: Art of the United States From the Cornell Fine Arts Museum

The history of art of the United States is rich and varied. Often seen in comparison to their European counterparts, American artists demonstrated ingenuity as they sought to display power and identity through portraiture, revel in the beauty of their natural surroundings through landscapes, and comment on conflicted and troubling histories in the spaces in between. The artists who are represented in this exhibition serve as key conduits for which time—and specifically American history—is marked.

Moreover, this presentation not only focuses on the technical skill of the artists included but how these individual works represented prevailing concepts and trends during the time in which they were created. The list of artists in this exhibition includes Thomas Moran, Albert Bierstadt, John Kensett, Childe Hassam, Robert Henri, Grandma Moses, Jacob Lawrence, and Ed Ruscha.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website