Utica, N.Y. — To accompany Munson Museum of Art’s first-of-its-kind exhibition “Canvas to Culture: Thomas Cole’s Voyage of Life Lives On,” a catalog by Museum Director Emeritus and exhibition organizer Paul Schweizer is now on sale in the Museum Shop. Schweizer will give an art talk on Sunday, April 13, at 2 p.m. at Munson Museum of Art that is free and open to the public.
Few American artworks have had as sustained an impact on the nation’s visual culture as Thomas Cole’s pictorial allegory of a person’s passage through the four stages of life. In his presentation, Schweizer will discuss some of the highlights of the pictures’ voyage through eight decades of American culture.
In the catalog, Schweizer traces the legacy of Cole’s epic “Voyage of Life” four-part series, and his extensive research shows how Cole inspired generations of American artists even after his death. It is designed as a companion to his earlier volume documenting the history of Cole’s original paintings.
“Canvas to Culture,” on view through May 25, features more than 50 works from Munson and other prominent collections inspired by Thomas Cole’s epic series, “The Voyage of Life” (1839–40). Cole’s series illustrates four stages of human life from birth to death as represented by an epic river journey. The artist sets the progress of life against changing landscapes, using seasons and times of day to symbolize the passage of time and the stages of life.
On its own, the catalog “Canvas to Culture: Thomas Cole’s Voyage of Life Lives On” is $18.95, but it can also be purchased as a box set with Schweizer’s original book, “Thomas Cole’s Voyage of Life,” for $32.95.
Admission to the exhibition is free for Munson Members and $5 for the general public. Schweizer’s art talk on April 13 is free for all.
For more information, visit munson.art/canvas-to-culture.
This exhibition is generously sponsored by Mary Ann Gadziala; Christian and Cheryl Heilmann; Elizabeth R. Lemieux, Ph.D.; the Family of F. X. Matt II; Hon. Beverly Tobin (ret), in memory of Edwin J. Tobin; and Linda and Alan Vincent.
About Munson
Munson is an internationally recognized fine arts organization in Utica, serving diverse audiences through the renowned Munson Museum of Art, live performances and events, community arts classes, and Pratt Munson College of Art and Design, the upstate extension campus of the prestigious Pratt Institute.
