Early Utopians

I never realized that early American artists had such a utopian vision of America until I saw Sarah Peters' exhibit, called "Being American," at Winkleman gallery. Peters' ink drawings and terracotta sculptures riff on that era's themes and works. It's hard to tell whether Peters is embracing or poking fun at those first artists, however. Although her drawings depict a world of earthly delights and promise, they look like they could have been drawn by Edward Gorey or R. Crumb. A self-portrait sculpture of Peters pays homage to a hilarious, over-the-top sculpture originally made by William Rush in which his head grows out of a log. (I've posted an image of the Rush sculpture below.) (Images via Winkleman gallery and Pafa.org)