Study for "Genius," "The Arts," Library of Congress, Washington D.C.
Classification
figures
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Kenyon Cox
Accession Number
1923-6-15
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Kenyon Cox (1856–1919), a prominent American muralist and advocate for classical art, created this *Study for "Genius," "The Arts," Library of Congress, Washington D.C.* around 1895. Trained in Europe and inspired by Renaissance masters like Raphael, Cox championed the Beaux-Arts style, blending idealized figures with symbolic grandeur. This preparatory sketch, classified as a study of figures, captures his meticulous planning process for large-scale murals, likely using pencil or charcoal on paper (medium details under research). Commissioned for the newly built Thomas Jefferson Building of ...