SHELDON STATEWIDE 2008-2009
From Particles to Planets
Battery, Morning (The City)
1952
Howard Norton Cook (1901-1980)
Pastel on Paper
UNL-Gift of anonymous donors
Analyze the Art
• What time of year and what time of the day do you think the artist represented?
• Do you think this is a true depiction of a city? Why or Why not?
• What shapes can you identify in this piece?
Howard Cook experimented and created works in many different media. While painting murals for public
buildings he began to create compositions that depended upon simplified shapes to create a rhythm for the
entire piece. His palette was generally confined to earth tones or natural colors.
Battery, Morning is a city-scape view of downtown New York City. This work was done in pastels, which
gives it a smoky or foggy appearance; true to a large city. Cook’s painting is partially abstracted, he sim-
plifies the shapes and removes details, resulting in a work of colored block forms with dark lines. These
blocks and shapes give a monolithic impression of the buildings and also communicate the pace of life in a
city. The buildings are not distinctly defined, which produces the feeling of movement in the work.
TERMS READINGS RELATED TOPICS
Battery is the name given to the southern tip http://www.thebattery.org/bat- New York City
of Manhattan. It is named for the Dutch artil- tery/ The Battery
lery battery, stationed there in the 17th cen- Cubism
tury, to protect the harbor. Cubism (Movements in Modern Pastel
Art) by David Cottington Mural painting
For Pastels see Robert Henri’s Light in the
Woods
From Particles to Planets
SHELDON STATEWIDE 2008-2009
Room
1970
Thomas P. Coleman (1935-1971)
Mezzotint
NAA-Gift of Lawrence Reger in
memory of the artist
Analyze the Art
• What sounds might you hear in a room like this?
• Why do you think the artist chose a cluttered child’s room for his subject?
Thomas Coleman was an artist who took family life seriously, thus it was his family that greatly influenced
this work. Room creates a positive feeling that calls attention to the joys of parenthood by presenting an
accurate depiction of a child’s room. This real image is a reminder to both parents and children just how
messy a child’s room can be.
For Room, Coleman used a printmaking technique called Mezzotint, which produces a work with texture
and large areas of light and dark. This technique emphasizes the idea of tangible physicality while also
giving the work a warm and cozy quality. The room is lit by the sun’s rays entering through the window,
which casts shadows of all the objects, making the room appear more cluttered than it really is. There are
dual perspectives in Room; it is possible that Coleman tried to present both the higher view of the parent’s
perspective and the lower level view of the child’s.
TERMS READINGS RELATED TOPICS
Mezzotint is an engraving process that uses Thomas Coleman, Printmaker Mezzotint
a copper or steel plate, which is drawn on to by Thomas Coleman Nursery
produce high areas to hold the ink. The design Perspectives
is created in lighter tones by scraping the plate Mezzotint: http://en.wikipedia. Parenthood
so that those areas hold less ink. org/wiki/Mezzotint
From Particles to Planets
SHELDON STATEWIDE 2008-2009
Landscape
undated
Thelma Lorie Christenson (1938-1968)
Oil on Canvas
NAA-Gift of Lawrence Reger in mem-
ory of the artist
Analyze the Art
• Where might this landscape be located?
• Why do you think the artist called this work Landscape?
• What do these shapes represent for you or what do you see when you look at the image?
Both Geometric Abstraction and Minimalism influenced Christenson’s work. Landscape communicates its
meaning through the use of shapes and colors, instead of giving a true depiction of an actual landscape. Also
the use of block shapes, such as rectangles and squares with natural earth colors, creates a dialog between
natural vs. artificial. In Landscape, Christenson avoids the use of flat, monochromatic colors; rather she var-
ies the tone, making the shapes more dynamic.
Artists such as Piet Mondrian and Frank Stella were famous Geometric Abstractionists; Christenson differed
from these artists in that her works did not take the style to the extreme. In Landscape, one can see the geo-
metric influence, yet the shapes in Christenson’s work do not contain hard edges or exact proportions like
the works of Mondrian or Stella.
Thelma Christenson received her BFA and MFA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
TERMS READINGS RELATED TOPICS
The Minimalist Movement reduced a Geometric Abstraction in America Minimalism
work of art to the minimum number of by John Gordon Geometric Abstraction
colors, values, shapes, and lines. There Landscape
was no attempt to make it represent or Minimalism (Themes and Move- Piet Mondrian
symbolize anything. ments) by James Meyer Frank Stella
From Particles to Planets
SHELDON STATEWIDE 2008-2009
Provincetown, Sunrise and Moonset
1916
Marguerite Zorach (1887-1968)
Oil on Canvas
NAA-Nelle Cochrane Woods Memorial
Analyze the Art
• Why do you think the artist chose these colors? Are they natural for the scene?
• How does the artist capture a certain time of the day? What elements make this a believable or unbe-
lievable depiction of this time of day?
• How is the work organized? Is it broken down into pieces or is it one continuous scene?
Marguerite Zorach and her husband, fellow artist William Zorach, spent a summer in Provincetown, Mas-
sachusetts where they both experienced and painted the landscape. While there, Marguerite Zorach’s work
reflected influences from both Cubism and Synchronism. Cubists often used muted colors, but Zorach
believed color was a form of personal expression, so her works have a strong emphasis on color.
Provincetown, Sunrise and Moonset is a depiction of a divided landscape that is simplified, flattened and
fragmented. The canvas communicates a dramatic moment in time when the setting moon is still in the
sky and the sun is beginning to appear. The sun’s rays shine across the water illuminating the waves and
continue toward the ragged land.
Zorach did not paint from everyday life, rather: “I never paint from things. I see something that interests
me, make a quick rough sketch and then arrange a picture in my mind based on the sketch.”
TERMS READINGS RELATED TOPICS
Synchronism was an art movement Marguerite Zorach The Early Years William Zorach
founded in 1912 that stressed color 1908-1920 by Marguerite Zorach Cubism
rhythms. Color and sound are believed to Synchronism
be of similar phenomena, so color can be Marguerite & William Zorach: Har- Landscapes
orchestrated like a composer orchestrates monies and Contrasts by Marguerite Provincetown, MA
music. Zorach
From Particles to Planets
SHELDON STATEWIDE 2008-2009
Greenhouse Interior
1976
Robert Therien, Jr (b. 1944)
Oil on Canvas
NAA- Nebraska Art Association
Collection
Analyze the Art
• How do you think the artist created this (realistic) painting?
• What is the perspective of this work? Are there reflections in this painting, if so describe them?
• What did the artist capture, a moment in time or is this a ficticious scene? Why?
Robert Therien produces works that are influenced by Super-Realism and also Photo-Realism. The Photo-
Realist style is tight and precise, often emphasizing imagery that requires a high level of technical skill, such
as depicting reflections on surfaces and the geometric elements of man-made environs. Therien looks at
drawings, photographs and images to enhance his depictions of nature. He is interested in solid forms and
giving high contrast of light and dark, which is visible in Greenhouse Interior.
Therien states: “My paintings deal with plant, greenhouse and isolated water images that are, by their nature,
dramatic and subjectively appealing. I prefer to use fragmented designs that give the viewer a partial scene
of the flow of the subject that reinforces the random and abstract.” Greenhouse Interior contains many re-
flections, confusing the viewer’s eye as to what is the physical object and what is the reflection.
Robert Therien was born in Omaha and is currently a professor of art at Midland Lutheran College in Fre-
mont, Nebraska.
TERMS READINGS RELATED TOPICS
Super-Realism/Photo-Realism artists http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Super-Realism
produce paintings that appear to be photo- Photorealism Photo-Realism
graphs. Photo-realist photograph a subject Greenhouses
and then uses a mechanical process to trans- Photorealism by Louis K. Air brush technique
fer the image to a canvas. Meisel
From Particles to Planets
SHELDON STATEWIDE 2008-2009
Cornfield
1973
David A. Melby (b. 1942)
Oil on Canvas
NAA-Nebraska Art
Association Collection
Analyze the Art
• Look closely at the corn; what colors besides yellow and green did the artist use?
• What do you think are the two brown poles in the field?
• Where do you think this was painted?
David Melby is concerned with creating art that promotes peace and contemplation by the viewer. His
paintings are both from nature and from his mind, thus he tries to create an experience for the viewer using
his paintbrush and canvas. The subject of Melby’s painting is from the physical world, but it is altered or
changed in his mind before he creates the painting. Melby is also selective of what landscape or subject he
plans to include in his work because he wants the work to encourage inner peace for his viewers.
Melby states: “While many artists attempt to imitate the landscape, my desire is to convey an inner land-
scape of poetic space, rather than a specific place. My process seeks the marriage of observed and idealized
forms, imagination and intuition. My hope is to offer the viewer poetic celebration of space and light, quiet
moments within the self.”
Beyond the horizon of silent mystery
A beautiful light whispers your name
David Melby
David Melby received his MFA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and he currently lives and works in
Kansas.
TERMS READINGS RELATED TOPICS
If something is idealized it is per- Poetry as Painting by Sir Earnest Lee Easton Poetry
fect or desired to be attained. Metaphor
Painting and Poetry: Form, Metaphor and
Contemplation is a long and the Language of Literature by Franklin Rog- Kansas
thoughtful consideration ers Serenity and inner peace
From Particles to Planets
SHELDON STATEWIDE 2008-2009
Window
Undated
William Lyberis (b. 1931)
Oil on Canvas
UNL-Gift of Mrs. Olga N.
Sheldon
Analyze the Art
• How would you describe the breeze or fresh air from the open window?
• How does this painting invite you, as the viewer, into the work?
• How does the artist express physical space?
William Lyberis studied in Paris where he learned the painting techniques of Impressionism. In Window
Lyberis uses rapid brushstrokes, a soft painterly feel and an everyday subject matter, all attributes of im-
pressionist art. His soft and delicate painting style might be compared to Pierre-Auguste Renoir, while his
subject matter, windows and interiors, is similar to those chosen by Gustave Caillebotte.
Lyberis had a fascination for depicting landscapes and interior views. In Window the physical world de-
picted gives the viewer both an interior room and exterior view of a garden. Lyberis probably painted this
work on-site, as a result the view the observer is receiving is also the view of the artist. We, as viewers,
enter the room and are immediately invited to move through the doorway into the warm, glowing garden
in the background.
William Lyberis was born in Lincoln, Nebraska and graduated from University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He
stated: “I have always wanted to be an artist, I can’t even remember of wanting to be anything else.”
TERMS READINGS RELATED TOPICS
Impressionism was a 19th-century art Renoir: A Master of Impressionism Pierre-Auguste Renoir
movement that emphasized visible brush- by Gerhard Gruitrooy Impressionism
strokes, light, ordinary subjects, move- Paris
ment and unusual viewing angles. http://www.renoir.org.yu/ Gustave Caillebotte
From Particles to Planets
SHELDON STATEWIDE 2008-2009
The Tetons and the Snake River,
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
1942
Ansel Easton Adams (1902-1984)
Gelatin Silver Print
NAA-Gift of Lawrence Reger in
memory of Ellery Lothrop Davis
Analyze the Art
• How does Adams compose this print so that the landscape communicates a message?
• How would the feel of this work be different if it were in color?
• How do you think this scene has changed since the time it was photographed in 1942?
Ansel Adams was a member of the f/64 group, which advocated for ‘straight photography’ rather than an
imitation of something else. In The Tetons and the Snake River, Adams places the river in the center of the
photo, timing the shot for a moment when it glistens in the light. The viewer’s eyes are drawn to the river,
following it to the mountains and on to the sky. Adams demonstrates the importance of composition and
also his reliance on the physical in his work to communicate mood and emotions. This piece is a good ex-
ample of a sharply focused image from reality, rather than something from the imagination.
Adams pioneered the idea of visualization/previsualization, which was a method of exposure that helped
him capture the subtle changes of tone and light. Even in a black and white photograph, Adams was able
to show variation in the tone of the work by capturing the glowing river and the light breaking through the
clouds.
Adams said: “As with all art, the photographer’s objective is not the duplication of visual reality. However,
they depart from reality in direct relation to the placement of the camera before the subject, the lens chosen,
the film and filters, the exposure indicated, the related development and printing; all, of course, relating to
what the photographer visualizes.”
TERMS READINGS RELATED TOPICS
Grand Teton National Park is http://www.grand.teton.national- Grand Teton National Park
located in north-western Wyoming, park.com/ f/64 Group
the park is named after Grand Teton, Visualization/Previsualization
which is the tallest mountain in the http://www.anseladams.com/ Gelatin Silver Print
Teton Range. Land conservation
From Particles to Planets
SHELDON STATEWIDE 2008-2009
French Landscape
1924
Earl(e) Horter (1881-1940)
Oil on Canvas
UNL-F.M. Hall Collection
Analyze the Art
• How would you describe Horter’s style?
• Compare French Landscape with Provincetown Sunrise and Moonset by Marguerite Zorach?
• How does the artist depict depth in this work?
Horter’s style might be described as Cubist Abstraction. He was influenced by the modern artists whose
work he collected such as Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque and Charles Sheeler. In Cubist artworks, objects
are broken up and re-assembled in an abstracted form. The artist depicts objects from more than one view-
point while also producing a shallow, two-dimensional space.
In French Landscape, Horter produces rectangular houses and fields and mountains that are pyramidal. Ac-
cording to Cubist artist Paul Cezanne: “Everything in nature takes its form from the sphere, the cone, and
the cylinder.” Cezanne felt that it was the artist’s obligation to restructure the physical world visually. Thus
in Horter’s work, all objects within the work are painted as flattened geometric shapes while the landscape
is painted in dull, earth tones. The brushstrokes are not confined to the outlined forms but flow beyond the
shapes.
TERMS READINGS RELATED TOPICS
In Cubist art, objects are broken up, ab- Cubism (Movements in Modern Art) by Cubism
stracted and depicted from many view- David Cottington France
points. The two-dimensional picture Georges Braque
plane is emphasized because the works Cezanne’s Composition: Analysis of His
Paul Cezanne
do not have true perspectives. Form with Diagrams and Photographs
of His Motifs by Erle Loran Pablo Picasso
From Particles to Planets
SHELDON STATEWIDE 2008-2009
West of Denton, Seward,
County, April 10, 1988
1988
John Spence (b.1943)
Cibachrome print
UNL-F.M. Hall Collection
Analyze the Art
• Why do you think the artist included the exact date in the title of the work?
• What message or meaning do you receive from this work? Compare it to Horter’s French Landscape or
Cook’s Battery, Morning (The City).
• How is this photograph similar or different from Ansel Adam’s The Tetons and the Snake River?
According to the artist, “The photographs which result are documents of the physical landscape…the rea-
son for doing it is to create a visual image of an emotional response to the place where I am.” Spence uses
his art and choice of medium to convey his thoughts and feelings, so that the audience can experience what
Spence felt. West of Denton, Seward County, similar to The Tetons and the Snake River, draws the viewer’s
eye around the photograph with natural elements. The rows in the field move the viewer’s eye to the middle
of the work and the grain elevators and then eventually up to the sky.
The framing and the choice of his perspective emphasizes and highlights the vast landscape. The grain el-
evators look tiny in the distance, suggesting that human-made objects are small and fragile in comparison to
the natural world. The clouds and the field are the dominant subjects of the work, again stressing the superi-
ority of nature compared to the element of the unnatural.
John Spence received both his BFA and MFA from University of Nebraska-Lincoln and currently lives in
Lincoln, NE
TERMS READINGS RELATED TOPICS
Cibachrome is a postive-to-postive process http://www.johnspencephoto.com/ Cibachrome
used for reproduction of slides on photo- bw.htm Grain Elevators
graphic paper. The characteristics of such Photography
prints are image clarity, color purity, as well Cibachrome Prints: http:// Agriculture
as being accurate to the original slide. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilfochrome
From Particles to Planets
SHELDON STATEWIDE 2008-2009
Blue Grid, Pembroke, New York
1977
John Pfahl (b. 1939)
Dye Transfer color photoprint
UNL-Gift of Lawrence Marx
Analyze the Art
• Look at this work closely. Do you think the blue grid was added before or after the photograph was
taken?
• What is the artist trying to say with this “altered landscape”?
• How does this work compare to other photographs in the exhibition?
Blue Grid is part of John Pfahl’s “Altered Landscape” series in which he photographs landscapes modi-
fied by an outside element, symbolizing human presence. This refers to the power of humans and also
the need or desire humans have to change the natural. The cracks of the ground are random and natural
although the blue string is ordered and perfect. Close examination of the work reveals that the blue grid
is actually placed in the scene before exposure. Pfahl stated: “Casual viewers of my Altered Landscape
photographs are often misled into believing that there are dotted lines, arrows or other marks drawn on the
prints.” Thus, Pfahl creates a dialog in his work between real and abstract, natural and artificial.
Pfahl chooses landscapes with a picturesque or pleasing quality, a good structure, and a power to commu-
nicate a message. He manipulates the work by creating mechanical landscape overlays which makes the
viewer more aware of his artistic techniques and his commentaries on the physical within his work.
TERMS READINGS RELATED TOPICS
Dye Transfer prints have rich colors, relative http://johnpfahl.com/ Land Art
permanence and subtlety of tone and hue. The Dye Transfer Photography
print is produced from three separate negatives Altered Landscapes: The Pho- Pembroke, New York
made by photographing the original negative
tographs of John Pfahl by Peter Environmental Art
through red, green and blue filters. The nega-
tives are then combined to produce a full-color C. Bunnell
image.
From Particles to Planets
SHELDON STATEWIDE 2008-2009
Light in the Woods
1918
Robert Henri (1865-1929)
Pastel on Paper
UNL-Howard S. Wilson
Memorial
Analyze the Art
• Henri wanted to create works that seemed alive and natural. How does he accomplish that in this work?
• How might this piece look different if Henri used oils instead of pastels?
This work is not a customary subject for Henri; he typically painted portraits or city scenes. Henri strove
to produce natural works, not just nature scenes, but art that appeared to be natural in technique. Land-
scapes in Henri’s opinion, were subjects for expression and ideas, and he believed it more important to
communicate those ideas than render realistic images or compositions. In Light in the Woods Henri uses
the landscape to present his ideas and his experiences, those ideas may be his own preference for country
life or the importance of nature.
Henri was the founder of the Ashcan School, that earlier had exhibited as The Eight in New York City.
This group created realistic portraits of everyday life and believed that artists should have freedom of ex-
pression in art. Henri believed an artist should: “Paint what you feel. Paint what you see. Paint what is real
to you.” The Eight only exhibited once and their works were very diverse in subject matter and style.
Robert Henri spent early boyhood days in Cozad, Nebraska which was founded by his father. The family
later fled the town after a confrontation between Henri’s father and a local rancher that ended in the death
of the rancher. All members of the family assumed different surnames, which is why Robert’s last name
changed from Cozad to Henri.
TERMS READINGS RELATED TOPICS
Pastels sticks or crayons consist of The Art Spirit by Robert Henri Ashcan School/The Eight
pure powdered pigment combined Pastel
with an inert binder. Pastels come http://www.nebraskamuseums.org/henri- Robert Henri Museum in
in different types, either soft or museum.html Cozad, NE
hard. Henri as an art instructor
Son of a Gambling Man by Mari Sandoz
From Particles to Planets
SHELDON STATEWIDE 2008-2009
American Elk
1845
John James Audubon (1785-1851)
Lithograph with hand coloring
UNL-Gift of Harold W. Andersen
Analyze the Art
• How could this work be important in the world of science?
• How would you describe the perspectives of this painting?
John James Audubon is famous for painting American birds and other wildlife. His nature studies document
animals in a realistic portrayal of wildlife. Audubon’s in-depth studies of wildlife present a strong aware-
ness of the beauties and complexities of nature. His first book, “Birds of America” published in 1838 had
life size engraved aquatint prints. It is often regarded as the greatest picture book ever produced.
Audubon’s final work on wildlife was “Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America,” which contained 150 fo-
lio (sheet of paper/two pages) plates; American Elk is an image from this work. In American Elk, Audubon
focuses all of the audience’s attention on the elk by placing them in the foreground while excluding signifi-
cant landscape details in the work.
Two of Audubon’s sons, along with other artists, drew many of the animals and background settings. They
sought to depict animals in realistic landscapes true to their native habits, but they often relied on second-
hand observations or stuffed specimens.
TERMS READINGS RELATED TOPICS
Lithography is a printing method where an http://www.audubon.org/ Audubon Society
image is drawn with tusche and litho crayon on Lithography
a flat surface, and then the printing surface is http://ne.audubon.org/ American Naturalists
moistened and inked in preparation for print- http://www.rmef.org/ Ornitheologists
ing. The printing itself is done on a press that Quadraped Viviparous
exerts a sliding or scraping pressure.
From Particles to Planets
SHELDON STATEWIDE 2008-2009
Vegetarian Vegetable (The Alphabet Soup)
1969
Andy Warhol (1928-1987)
Color screen print
UNL-Gift of Carl H. and Jane Rohman through
the University of Nebraska Foundation
Analyze the Art
• If you could paint what you had for lunch everyday, what would you paint?
• What does the work tell you about the artist?
• What is the meaning or purpose of this work?
During the Pop Art Movement, Warhol began to create works about Campbell’s soup cans. These images
raised the everyday or popular object to the status of art. Warhol believed that “Pop art is about liking
things,” and as a result he created this series because supposedly he had Campbell’s soup everyday for
lunch for 20 years.
Duplication and mechanization came to be important factors in the commercial sector during the 20th Cen-
tury. Warhol expressed this phenomenon of technology and factories by using a machine to create his art.
“Art untouched by human hands; the artist has become a machine.” He preferred the screen printing tech-
nique because it allowed him to mass-produce his work. In screen printing, ink is pressed through a porous
screen, which creates a design on the surface underneath. The outcome is an equal, mass-produced feel to
the work; hence this technique is used for making t-shirts, magazines, and many other things. Everything
about Warhol’s work is “manufactured,” which is a comment on the physical world as he saw it.
TERMS READINGS RELATED TOPICS
The Pop Art movement began in the 1950s. http://edu.warhol.org/index2.html Pop Art
Artist focused attention on familiar images of Screen Print
popular culture such as billboards, comics and The Philosophy of Andy Warhol: Mass Media
supermarket products. Equally important was 1960s
(From A to B and Back again) by Campbell’s Soup
the artist’s use of mechanical means of repro- Andy Warhol
duction which down-played the artist’s expres-
sive hand.
From Particles to Planets
SHELDON STATEWIDE 2008-2009
Untitled (Female Figure sitting)
1975
Manuel Neri (b. 1930)
Cast Bronze
UNL-Gift of Paule Anglim
Analyze the Art
• How does the artist capture normal, everyday movements in these sculptures?
• How does the texture of the sculpture, add or detract from the figure? Does the texture make it appear
more from reality or from the imagination?
• How does this sculpture portray physicality in art?
Manuel Neri was a member of the Bay Area Figuration of California, a group of artists who abandoned
abstraction of the time and favored a return to figuration. Neri is known for creating life-size figurative
sculptures of women because “...the female body has the magic. The male may have the power, but the fe-
male has the magic.” He emphasized surface texture and form by sanding, chipping or painting the surface
of his works. Neri’s sculptures communicate and connect easily with the viewer because the carving and
modeling of the material is so apparent in his work.
Since 1972 Neri has worked with model, Mary Julia, of whom he created numerous drawings and sculp-
tures that merge contemporary sculptural concerns with classical forms. The anatomical skills these works
show are similar to the skills and techniques of Degas or Rodin. Neri’s sculptures are like snapshots of the
everyday movements of women. The poses suggest spontaneity and intuition, while also being fun and
playful.
TERMS READINGS RELATED TOPICS
Bronze Casting begins with a clay core http://www.natsoulas.com/html/
shaped like the sculpted object. The core is Bay Area Figuration
covered with wax, and then clay. The entire collection/beat/bay_figure.html Bronze Casting
object is fired, hardening the clay and melting Sculpture
the wax. The space vacated by the wax is then Manuel Neri: Artist Books by Edgar Degas
filled with molten bronze, once the bronze Bruce Nixon Auguste Rodin
cools the clay is removed. The bronze object
is then cleaned and polished by hand.
From Particles to Planets
SHELDON STATEWIDE 2008-2009
0.30 Bullet Piercing an Apple
1964
Harold Edgerton (1903-1990)
Dye Transfer photo print
UNL-Gift of the Harold and
Esther Edgerton Family
Foundation
Analyze the Art
• How do you think the artist was able to capture this action?
• If you had the power to make the invisible visible, what would you want to see?
Harold Edgerton was an electrical engineer who began to take photographs as scientific experiments. His
works are observations of moving objects in a series of static images; each image is sharp and not blurred.
In 0.30 Bullet Piercing an Apple, Edgerton captures the split second when the bullet explodes through the
apple causing the peeling to rip and particles of the apple to fly out from the impact. He was able to do
this by synchronizing strobe flashes with the motion of the bullet; he then took a series of photos with an
open shutter at a very fast rate.
This photograph, and others he took using his invention of ultra-speed and stop-action photography, al-
lowed him to take numerous exposures per second, making a split second movement visible. Edgerton’s
works are both scientific and artistic in that he captures a moment in time that is usually unseen by the eye.
His photographs show the process of the action, giving the audience a view of an event in successive im-
ages, capturing unique views of the physical world.
Harold Edgerton was born in Fremont, Nebraska and attended University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he
received a BS in Electrical Engineering and then his MS at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
TERMS READINGS RELATED TOPICS
A stroboscope generates brief, re- Stopping time : the photographs of Electrical Engineering
peating bursts of light, which allow Harold Edgerton by Estelle Jussim Ultra-speed Photography
an observer to view quickly moving Stop-action Photography
objects in a series of static, as-if frozen Seeing the Unseen: Photographs by Stroboscope
images, rather than a single continuous Harold Edgerton http://www.tfaoi. Dye Transfer Photo Print
blur. com/aa/5aa/5aa256.htm
From Particles to Planets
SHELDON STATEWIDE 2008-2009
Bather Wiping His Foot
1928
William Horace Littlefield (1902-1990)
Oil on Canvas
UNL-Gift of William Alexander
Analyze the Art
• How would you describe the body’s proportions?
• What time of day did Littlefield capture this bather, and where?
• How does this painting connect to the ‘Particles to Planets’ theme?
Early in William Littlefield’s career he received private painting lessons from a teacher deeply influenced
by Impressionism. These early teachings of the themes and ideas of Impressionism are apparent in Bather
Wiping His Foot. Impressionism was concerned with visible brushstrokes, light, movement and ordinary
subject matter. Littlefield’s work captures a momentary action of a man bending down to wipe his foot. An
instant later the action will be completed and the subject would change; this idea of capturing a fleeting mo-
ment was a key aspect of Impressionism.
Another similarity to Impressionism is seen by Littlefield’s use of oils, which are applied as though he was
working with pastels. The work has a sketch-like quality, which reinforces the idea that he is depicting a
moment in time. Littlefield’s subject matter is typical of the style since sketches and paintings of bathers
were popular in Impressionist art. Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Edgar Degas created numerous paintings of
bathers.
TERMS READINGS RELATED TOPICS
A Fleeting Moment is a time that is not Impressionism: Art, Leisure, and Impressionism
carefully constructed. Rather is it an Parisian Society by Robert Herbert Fleeting Moment
instant that passes quickly. Bather
The Impressionists at Leisure by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
For Impressionism see William Lyb- Pamela Todd Edgar Degas
eris’s Window
From Particles to Planets
SHELDON STATEWIDE 2008-2009
Study of a Crippled Pigeon
1971
Robert Weaver (b. 1935)
Etching
UNL-Thomas P. Coleman Memorial
Analyze the Art
• Do you think the artist actually studied a crippled pigeon or do you think the crippled pigeon is from
his imagination?
• Why do you think the artist chose to depict a crippled bird? What other animals in Nebraska could he
have chosen?
Robert Weaver watches and studies animals and humans from the world around him, creating several stud-
ies or drawings of his subjects before beginning his final work on the subject. Weaver often befriended
wounded birds and nursed them back to health. He also cared for other animals with injuries or disabilities.
Weaver used his animal imagery to comment on the poor treatment of both wild and domesticated animals.
While birds are among the most represented animals in Weaver’s work, he is better known for his highly
expressive human portraits; some include Nebraskans Norman Geske and Bob Devaney. In 2001, Weaver
was described by L. Kent Wolgamott, art critic of the Lincoln Journal Star, as “one of Nebraska’s most ac-
complished artists.” Weaver currently lives and works in Palmyra, Nebraska, near Lincoln.
TERMS READINGS RELATED TOPICS
Etching is a printing process in which a John Robert Weaver, American Etching
needle is used to scrape away wax and Artist: A Retrospective Pigeons
draw an image onto a metal plate. The Animal Rights
plate is then put into a acid bath where Drawing Birds by John Busby
indentations are made where the drawing
was. Finally ink is applied to the metal http://www.nehumanesociety.org/
plate which acts as a stamp of the drawing. shop/Results.asp?category=2
From Particles to Planets
SHELDON STATEWIDE 2008-2009
Other World
undated
Harry Sternberg (b. 1904)
Oil and metal foils on board
UNL-Howard S. Wilson
Memorial
Analyze the Art
• The artist believed in creating works that helped form and improve society. How could this work ac-
complish that goal?
• How does the inclusion of metallic foils add to the piece? How does this work look like a landscape
you have seen before?
In Other World, Sternberg uses collage techniques, which emphasize the physical in his work. The viewer
is drawn to the work because it has a texture and physical appearance; it appears to have three-dimension-
al qualities. Sternberg uses paints and metallic foils to depict a mountainous landscape. According to
Sternberg: “It cannot be too often repeated that great art consists in saying something important and saying
it as well as it can be said.” The work is entitled Other World because the image comes from Sternberg’s
imagination rather than the real world.
Sternberg found that traveling to the mountains was a “spiritual bath” and a renewal from the stress and
pressure of city-life. He also saw traveling as an opportunity to “open my eyes to landscape and deepened
my sense of awe and wonder about all of life.”
In the 1930s Sternberg painted murals for the New Deal Arts Program. This program sought artists,
through competitions, to create murals and sculptures for federal buildings around the United States. As a
result, these selected artists were among the most talented artists of their era, decorating new federal build-
ings with the best in American art.
TERMS READINGS RELATED TOPICS
A collage (from the French word, col- Harry Sternberg: a catalog Collage
ler, to glue) is an assemblage of differ- raisonne of his graphic work by Metallic Foils
ent materials, such as newspaper clip- James C. Moore New Deal Arts Program
pings, paper, or photographs which are Murals
then glued to a piece of paper or canvas. http://www.wpamurals.com/
From Particles to Planets
SHELDON STATEWIDE 2008-2009
Architectural Still Life
1978
Charles Rain (1911-1985)
Oil on Panel
UNL-Bequest of the artist
Analyze the Art
• Why do you think the artist chose to place food with architectural forms?
• If you were creating a magic realist work, what two objects would you put together that are not usually
pictured together?
Charles Rain work is categorized as Surrealist and Magic Realist because his images have a dreamlike qual-
ity, divorced from reality. Also important to Magic Realism was the adherence to the tradition of European
trompe l’oeil painting. This French term, which literally means “trick the eye,” is a style of painting that
gives the appearance of three-dimensionality. To create optical allusions, trompe l’oeil artists toy with a
viewer’s seeing, which raises questions about the nature of art and perception.
In Architectural Landscape, Rain depicts physical objects: vegetables and ancient ruins, which are pho-
tographically real, but become surreal by their proximity. A surrealist artist creates a work from the mind
when he places these objects together. Both elements or objects are natural, yet the vegetables and ruins
shown together are unnatural. In this work the space takes on an ambivalent quality causing a mixed mes-
sage.
Charles Rain specified that the Sheldon Museum of Art be the permanent home of his collection, as a result
the Sheldon holds numerous pieces by the artist.
TERMS READINGS RELATED TOPICS
Magic Realism was an artistic genre in Charles Rain, Painter by Charles Magic Realism
the 1940s, in which magical elements or Rain Surrealism
illogical scenarios appear in normal set- Architecture
tings and depictions. Magical Realism by Maggie Anne Trompe l’oeil
Bowers
From Particles to Planets
SHELDON STATEWIDE 2008-2009
Drifted Sand and Snow
1940
Dwight Kirsch (1899-1981)
Watercolor on paper
NAA-Gift of the artist in memory
of Truby Kelly Kirsch
Analyze the Art
• Where might you find drifted sand and snow that looks like this?
• How is this work changed or exaggerated from how the Sandhills actually look?
• How does this work make you feel? Are you cold? Do you feel the wind whipping the sand and snow
around?
Dwight Kirsch was a Regionalist artist, a group interested in depicting American lives and the physi-
cal world from the perspective of a Midwesterner. Kirsch, a Nebraska native, was primarily interested in
portraying the physical landscape of Nebraska. He spent hours sketching and drawing landscapes, but in
Drifted Snow and Sand, reality was augmented with expressive images from Kirsch’s imagination.
Kirsch believed that art should originate from the environment and from nature: “One must work out of
nature, not from it.” The feel in Drifted Sand and Snow is very soft, yet there is a strong sense of movement
in the lines of the work. Kirsch preferred to make paintings with a narrative, even if the story he was com-
municating was not that obvious to his viewers.
Kirsch was an artist, teacher, and art administrator whose importance to the Sheldon and the University was
invaluable. Kirsch purchased many Regionalist and Modern works for the Nebraska Art Association and
these works later served as the foundation of the Sheldon Museum of Art Collection.
TERMS READINGS RELATED TOPICS
A Narrative is an account or story www.sandhillstaskforce.org Sandhills
related by speech, writing or images Regionalism
that describes a sequence of fictional www.westcentral.unl.edu/GSL Narrative
or non-fictional events. Sheldon Museum of Art Collection