Blinding or Beautiful? Modern Art and Artificial Illumination
- DATE:
- TIME:
- 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
- Speaker:
- Hollis Clayson, Professor Emerita of Art History and Bergen Evans Professor Emerita in the Humanities, Northwestern University
Interest in the aesthetics of light shaped the work of countless visual artists on both sides of the Atlantic in the modern era. The bond between innovative art and light was especially pronounced in France starting in the mid- to late 1800s, when different kinds of lighting (oil, gas and then electric) competed in Paris, the so-called “City of Light.” In this lecture, Clayson looks closely at paintings and graphic works by both European and American artists that grappled with the effects of both natural light and artificial illumination in surprising ways. Were the new lights beautiful or blinding? Did they belong in art or not?
This lecture serves as the keynote address for a two-day symposium co-organized by the Museum and the California Institute of Technology in conjunction with the exhibition Plugged In: Art and Electric Light. Taking place on October 11 (at the Museum) and 12 (at Caltech's Baxter Lecture Hall), the symposium will be organized into four thematic sessions featuring talks by a distinguished group of international scholars.
Details, including the list of panel topics, speakers, and timing can be found here.
Advance registration is now closed. A limited number of tickets will be available starting at 4:00 p.m.
EVENT DETAILS
- Fee:
- Free with museum admission.
- Details:
- Advance registrants check in at the check-in table starting at 4:00 p.m. to receive a sticker for their seat (seating is not assigned). Everyone must be seated no later than 4:50 p.m. Guests who are not in their seat by 4:50 p.m. may forfeit their ticket.
- Location:
- Theater
Related Events
Tours & Talks:
Plugged In: Art and Electric Light
Look closely at the exhibition Plugged In: Art and Electric Light, and discuss how artists experimented with emerging technologies to create works that harness the potential of electricity. MORE INFO
Family, Youth & Teens:
Light and Transparency: Colorful Illuminated Dioramas
Inspired by the works of Robert Irwin and Walter Askin, join artist and teacher Melissa Manfull for a class in which students create glowing 3D artworks by layering color transparencies, Plexiglas and their own drawings. Students learn about one-point perspective, color mixing and creating the illusion of 3D space on a flat surface. MORE INFO