Seeking The Spiritual

Concerned about the rampant materialism spawned by America’s rapid industrialization and booming economy, turn-of-the-century artist Elliott Daingerfield sought to create paintings that reconnected viewers to the spiritual. He believed that art could uplift the observer by providing an intense spiritual, emotional, or religious experience. He encouraged viewers to contemplate his paintings as a means of communing with the divine.  Spanning the years between 1887 and 1920, the 48 paintings, pastels, and drawings in this exhibition consider several topics that Daingerfield engaged to produce paintings he felt evoked the intangible spiritual plane existing behind the surface of material things. Museum visitors will discover the mysteries of nature in his landscapes, the sacredness of Christianity in his religious pictures, and the spirit of place in his allegorical art. Through these themes, this exhibition delves into one of the many responses to the impact of modernization upon American society.

The exhibited works are on loan from the Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, Georgia.

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THE SLEEPERS

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THE GENIUS OF THE CANYON

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MYSTIC BRIM

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ON THE EPIPHANY

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ON THE MAGNIFICAT

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WESTGLOW