Study for mural, Union Trust Company Building, "The Sources of Wealth"
ca. 1903
Medium
Painting
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Ambrose Lansing
Accession Number
1983.114.3
Tags
About this artwork
Kenyon Cox spent a great deal of time planning his murals and often created multiple studies before he was satisfied with the design. This mural study shows how he worked out his color scheme. Before deciding on the facial expressions of his figures, Cox balanced the figural groups. Red accents connect all the figures with each other and unify the design. Coxâs attention to harmonizing colors reflects his idea of painting as a selection of colors and forms chosen to make the most unified image...
About the Artist
Kenyon Cox · 1856–1919
Kenyon Cox (1856–1919) was born on October 27 in Warren, Ohio, to General Jacob Dolson Cox, a prominent politician and Civil War veteran, and Helen Finney Cox. Despite fragile health, young Cox pursued art at the Art Academy of Cincinnati before advancing to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. In 1877, he traveled to Paris, studying first under Carolus-Duran, then at the Éco...