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Art & Imagination: Paintings from the Whitney Museum

During the past several months, I’ve made a concerted effort to take full advantage of the rich, world-class, and often free cultural amenities in the New York metropolitan region. Recently, I continued this resolution by visiting the Whitney Museum of American Art.

The Museum opened its new building in the (increasingly former) Meatpacking District in 2015 and it offers stunning views of the Hudson River and the Manhattan skyline. During my visit, several paintings struck my imagination. All spoke of cold and solitude.

Rockwell Kent’s Moonlight, Winter reflects the stillness and inspiration of winter. Notice the house with a single lit window in the bottom-right corner of the painting. I imagine the house’s inhabitant reading or writing late into the night.

Moonlight Winter

Rockwell Kent, Moonlight, Winter, 1940 (Courtesy of the Whitney Museum of American Art).

This winter street scene reminds me of the modest downtown of my hometown in Western New York state. Interestingly enough, Charles Burchfield spent much of his adulthood in the Buffalo region.

Winter Twilight

Charles Burchfield, Winter Twilight, 1930 (Courtesy of the Whitney Museum of American Art).

This painting portrays a creative hermitage of sorts. The wood-burning stove suggests that this art studio is a cozy, comforting space.

Artist at Work

George C. Ault, The Artist at Work, 1946 (Courtesy of the Whitney Museum of American Art).

These paintings capture the elements–both natural and man-made–that kindle my imagination and creativity. What art at the Whitney (or another museum) might do the same for you?

 

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