On these short December days we’re all looking for a little extra light to break through the darkness. The idea of warmth, whether literal flame, spiritual comfort, or an intellectual spark, lends a distraction from seemingly endless cold, dark days. From a cozy lamp-lit scene to a lustrous pot that reflects the light to a shimmering, blinking display that never repeats itself, let’s take an art and light-filled break together.
Unexpected sparkle
James VanDerZee, GGG Photo Studio at Christmas, 1933, gelatin silver print with applied color, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Julia D. Strong Endowment and the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program, 1994.57.4
Glittering found objects
Simon Sparrow, Assemblage with Found Objects, after 1960, carved and painted wood with collaged pieces of costume jewelry, keychains..., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., 1998.84.33
Tranquil glow
Horatio Shaw, Barnyard in Winter, ca. 1885-1890, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1975.43
Cozy embrace
Loïs Mailou Jones, Greetings, ca. 1937-1948, pen and ink on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of the artist, 2006.24.15
Spiritual warmth
Abraham Rattner, God's Light, color lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Abraham Rattner, 1981.153.41
Light in the dark
Unidentified (American), (Untitled) (Village Street on a Winter Night), ca. 1933-1943, lithograph on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, 1974.28.157
Endless digital dazzle
Leo Villareal, Volume (Renwick), 2015, white LEDs, mirror-finished stainless steel, custom software, and electrical hardware, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Janet and Jim Dicke, Tania and Tom Evans, Paula and Peter Lunder, and Debbie Petersen in honor of Elizabeth Broun, 2016.13, © Leo Villareal
Words light the way
Radiant gleam
Beatrice Wood, Gold Lustre Teapot, 1988, earthenware with lustres, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1989.26A-B
Almost luminescent
Janet Echelman, 1.8 Renwick, 2015. Photo by Ron Blunt
May art and curiosity help everyone find new perspective in the new year.
