By Majal Perry
An alternative to four-hour study sessions and ramen noodle dinners alone in the dorms has arrived. Mix it up a little with a painless and enjoyable visit to Speed Museum’s upcoming exhibit, “Forging an American Identity: The Art of William Ranney,” which runs Sept. 29 – Jan. 1. Ranney is especially revered as a painter of the American West, a part of the country he had been well acquainted with while serving in the Republic Army of Texas in 1836. While living in New York and New Jersey, he exhibited with the American Art-Union and at the National Academy of Design. The exhibition features 60 paintings of American life. Ranney is known for being one of our nation’s greatest narrative painters, rendering portraits of hunting and sporting scenes, jovial genre scenes and famous historical scenes in such a way as to truly capture the early American spirit. Featured works are the lively paintings “The Sleigh Ride” and “Boys Crabbing.” Also in the collection are beautiful historical works like “Washington Allying the Americans at Battle of Princeton” and “Veterans of 1776 Returning from the War,” as well as paintings that tell the story of the expansion of the American West like “Daniel Boone’s First View of Kentucky” and “The Pioneer.”A doctorate of art history is not necessary to enjoy the exhibit. It is easy to notice the realism and the contrasts in light and dark, as well as his attention to the most minute details as the brushstrokes are so fine and carefully placed they are almost impossible to see.The light pouring in from cloud breaks and the shadows enveloping every craggy crevice of the western landscapes carries a calming and familiar tone that students may identify with their heritage in a new and more refreshing way than a U.S. history textbook could provide.Tickets can be found at the Ticket Sales Desk in the Visitor Welcome Center, and are free with a University of Louisville, student ID.Grab a Facebook friend, put your U.S. history textbook away for the afternoon and go see the real thing.
