"Art for art's sake is an empty phrase. Art for the sake of the true, art for the sake of the good and the beautiful, that is the faith I am searching for."
— George Sand
Opportunities
The "American Pictures" Distinguished Lecture Series at the Smithsonian Institution
The "American Pictures" Distinguished Lecture Series opens March 8, 2008, with a lecture by writer Allan Gurganus on Thomas Eakins's Portrait of Walt Whitman.
Sponsored by Washington College in collaboration with the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery, this new series offers a highly original approach to art and portraiture—one that pairs great works of art with leading figures of contemporary American culture.
For each "American Pictures" lecture, an eminent writer, thinker, or artist chooses a single, powerful image and unravels its meanings. In the process, he or she also explores how works of art reflect American history and identity, and how they inspire creative minds in many different fields.
Students are welcome to attend all lectures in the series, at no cost.
The lectures will take place on Saturdays at 4:30 p.m. in the Nan Tucker McEvoy Auditorium, within the newly restored Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture (Old Patent Office Building, 8th and F Sts., NW).