Nationality & Design

Jan. 26–April 9, 2021
Forsyth Galleries | Memorial Student Center, MSC 2428

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The events of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries in Europe and America provided a focus for a renewed attention to nationalism in the arts. This exhibit looks at the awe-inspiring art that would help define an iconic but artificial vision of the American West; while in Europe, glass designers looked to their nation’s storied past and tumultuous present for inspiration.

Art proved to be extremely important to the articulation of nationalism in many nineteenth century nations that were experiencing expansion and revolution. In America, enormous popular attention was focused on the Western United States with the media presenting a typically exaggerated view of the romance, anarchy, and chaotic violence for greater dramatic effect. Paintings and prints by a number of American artists, including Charles M. Russell and Frederic Remington, would provide iconic images that would help craft the legend of the American West.

Many Eastern European glassmakers looked to the past for ideas to connect their new work to a “lost” cultural heritage, building an industry that would serve as an important source for the expression of national identity. In England and France, glassmakers would innovate their fabrication techniques to proclaim a new golden age in culture and design.