In Full Bloom: A Floral Fantasy

April 20–June 18, 2021
Forsyth Galleries | Memorial Student Center, MSC 2428

This exhibition examines the common ground between the fine and decorative art forms that express a profound appreciation of nature through brilliant color, creativity and the capacity to see the world with fresh eyes. Through a bold use of color and experimentation with line and perspective, each artist crafts a world that is utterly individual and true to themselves, yet offers immense universal appeal. In Full Bloom examines the unmistakable relationship between late 19^th and early 20^th century art and the natural world around them.

An abstraction of form is visible in most late 19^th and early 20^th century art movements including Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Fauvism, Primitivism, and Cubism. Each movement confronted the idea that art could be non-representative of reality, each using a different toolset to distance their subject from literal, representational reference points. While the fine arts were evolving from realism to nonrepresentation, other forms of artistic expression such as the decorative arts and handicrafts, frequently mirrored the change and some even appear to have anticipated the move to abstraction. A selection of paintings, quilts, glass, metal, ceramic, and other items will showcase the relationship between realism to abstraction using nature as a common theme.