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Life
in Art |
Art can be an instrument of personal expression. It is often created
to explore or celebrate certain universal themes, such as love, eroticism,
morbidity, death, and the family, or it can be used to mark important life
passages or stages.
"Life in Art" illustrates how art often depicts different stages in
the cycle of life. Love, eroticism, death, the family, and life cycles
are all subjects that have been explored by artists for centuries. Moving
chronologically from images of children through those of families, work
and play, and old age, this section includes a comparison of a large 18th-century
painting of a wealthy Georgia family with a recently-acquired decorated
stoneware water cooler (circa 1840) from Edgefield, South Carolina, depicting
a slave wedding.
