Spanning a century from the introduction of electric light to the dawn of the Space Age, this first major survey of American night scenes by artists such as Winslow Homer, Georgia O’Keeffe, Andrew Wyeth, and Joseph Cornell proposes the central importance of nocturnal images in the development of modern art. This gorgeously illustrated book investigates how leading
American artists of diverse aesthetic convictions responded
in a range of media—including paintings, drawings, prints, and
photographs—to the unique challenges of picturing the night.
Retooling their palette and reconsidering their techniques,
artists cherished the night as a time of heightened alertness
and active imagination. Mysterious and provocative, the
darkness was experienced as liberating, both on an aesthetic
and personal level—allowing artists to become invisible, turn
inward, and express personal truths in unique and poetic ways.
Night Vision expands the conversation on American art and the
rise of modernism, as it demonstrates how the theme of the
night inspired artists who sought to leave behind established
styles and traditions to better reflect the broader societal and
technological shifts as well as a new understanding of the value
of art as personal expression. "This book, with more than 100 illustrations, showcases night scenes by artists such as Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper, Andrew Wyeth, and Georgia O’Keeffe . . . The images range from realist to abstract, from urban portraits of the night to ominous, crepuscular, and often voyeuristic nocturnes in a wide variety of mediums . . . Bolstered by reflective essays, Night Vision is a survey of modernism and of personal expression, illuminating the powerful, lasting impact night vision had on American art."
—Boston Globe