Jul, 02, 2020
Art
From Sea to Shining Sea
On July 4, 2020, the United States of America marks the 244th anniversary of its independence from colonial rule by Great Britain. Given the moniker Independence Day, July 4 has traditionally been a day to celebrate freedom and a spirit of self-determination, though true freedom and equal opportunity to determine the course of personal liberty are ideals that are yet to be realized for all people within our nation, even to this day.
The history of the United States is a complex and imperfect one. It does, however, remain marked by continual progress and struggle toward that early ideal of a more perfect union. Arranged chronologically, the works below from our American, Western American, modern, and contemporary art collections capture elements of the past few hundred years of our complicated national history, while also sharing the perspectives of those for whom the quest for liberty and independence remains an ongoing pursuit. As you examine them, consider the following questions:
- How do these works capture life in the United States over its history?
- Which voices and experiences are centered? Which are missing?
- How has our definition of what it means to be “American” shifted over the centuries?
- How do the perspectives presented in these works match your own experiences? How do they differ?
Portrait of John A Graham (c.1798) by John Singleton Copley
Landing of the Pilgrims, Dec. 22, 1620 (c. 1803-1806) by Michele Felice Corné
Frontiersman (1875) by Charles Stanley Reinhardt
Baseball Illustration (1889) by Edward Windsor
Industrial Scene (1891) by Joseph Pennell
Looking Across the Grand Canyon (c.1910) by Edward Henry Potthast
The Laundress (1916) by Robert Henri
Buffalo Hunt (1930) by Lone Wolf
![Reginald Marsh, Joan (The Tabloid) (Joan [El tabloide]), 1931. Etching. Bequest of Ruth Bank Weil. © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.](https://phxart.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Reginald-Marsh-Joan-The-Tabloid-Joan-El-tabloide-1931.-Etching.-Bequest-of-Ruth-Bank-Weil.-©-Artists-Rights-Society-ARS-New-York.jpg)
Joan (The Tabloid) (1931) by Reginald Marsh
Little Boy Lives in a Copper Camp (1931) by Lew Davis
Boulder Dam (c. 1934-1935) by Helen Blumenschein
GI (1944) by Philip Curtis
Portrait of Count Basie (1957) by Karl Appel
African Genesis (1960) by Eugene Grigsby
Bruce Davidson, Untitled (Time of Change), 1963 – 1965. Resin-coated print. Gift of an anonymous donor. © Bruce Davidson.
Untitled (Time of Change) (1963-1965) by Bruce Davidson
Jasper Johns, Flag, 1969. Offset lithograph on wove paper. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alvin N. Haas. © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Flag (1969) by Jasper Johns
SAVE (1971) by Jorge Fick
Grandfather’s House, Fourth of July (1985) by Philip C. Curtis
The Bitter Nest, Part 1: Love in the School Yard (1988) by Faith Ringgold
Sweeping Clouds (1989) by Ed Mell
Arcos de Geso (Arches of Geso) (2006) by Manuel Neri
Pin River, Colorado River (2010) by Maya Lin
Mickalene Thomas, Qusuquzah Standing Sideways, 2012. C-print. Museum purchase with funds provided by the Zuber Award. © Mickalene Thomas / Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Qusuquzah Standing Sideways (2012) by Mickalene Thomas
Memling: After Memling’s Portrait of a Man in a Red Hat (2013) by Kehinde Wiley
