主題分類
民主 Democracy
從第一批來自歐洲的移民自己投票還有前往一片充滿希望的新土地開始，美國對民主的渴望塑造美國對政府的實驗。民主的政府形式塑造了美國民族性，創造獨立且公正的人民，他們樂於與國家其他公民共享對彼此意見的尊重。
然而，民主不能簡單地繼承下去，它還必須被學習和保存。成功民主政府的延續取決於其公民的智慧。 「描繪美國展」呈現所有美國公民致力於一個更美好國家的責任。這些作品記錄了古典思想根源的民主，民主進程本身以及那些傳遞給我們一個偉大民主共和國的明智祖先們。
The democratic impulse has shaped the American experiment in government since the first European immigrants voted with their feet and set out for a new land filled with promise. Democratic forms of government have shaped the American character, creating an independent, fair-minded people who share a great respect for opinions of their fellow citizens.
Yet democracy is not simply inherited; it also must be learned and preserved. The successful continuation of democratic government depends upon the wisdom of its citizens, and Picturing America presents an opportunity to reflect on the responsibility all American have to contribute to a more perfect union. These images capture the classical roots of the idea of democracy, the democratic process itself, and a few of the many wise citizens who have passed on to us a democratic republic.
[相關展品]
-
3b. 喬治華盛頓立像（GEORGE WASHINGTON）by Gilbert Stuart, 1796
油彩‧畫布，247.6 x 158.7公分。2008史密森尼博物館、國家肖像藝廊提供
Oil on canvas, 97 1/2 x 62 1/2 in. (247.6 x 158.7 cm.).© 2008 Smithsonian Institution, Courtesy, National Portrait Gallery.衣著平實無假髮，他不是國王，而是平等之國的公民。
The U.S. president was not a king, but a citizen of a land where all men were created equal.
-
7a. 俄亥俄州首府哥倫布（STATE CAPITOL, OHIO）by THOMAS COLE et al, 1861
建築師：伊希爾唐恩、A.J. 戴維斯；主設計：湯瑪士寇爾。攝影 © 湯姆派特森。
Ithiel Town and A. J. Davis, architects; design largely by Thomas Cole. Photograph © Tom Patterson.十九世紀許多州政府大興土木蓋議會，希臘風格象徵民主聖地。
As Americans became more politically active in the mid-1800s, legislators wanted to express their identity in their statehouses. Like many new state capitol buildings, Ohio’s Greek Revival statehouse recalled the birthplace of democracy. Construction - which took some 20 years to complete - was also rife with politics among competing architects and designers.
-
7b. 郡選舉（THE COUNTY ELECTION）by GEORGE BINGHAM, 1852
油彩‧畫布，96.5 x 132.1公分。© 聖路易藝術博物館。
Oil on canvas, 38 x 52 in. (96.5 x 132.1 cm.). © Saint Louis Art Museum.這幅看來擁擠的畫作，描繪老少貧富形形色色選民的投票情形，特別是整體構圖無單一焦點，展現了民主的包容與平等精神。
In this crowded composition, the artist suggests the inclusiveness of democracy. Young or old, rich or poor, all of the men gathered at the foot of the courthouse on Election Day appeared as equals. The lack of a single focus emphasized the ideal that no one vote was worth more than another.
-
12b. 協約日，1917年5月（ALLIES DAY, MAY 1917）by CHILDE HASSAM, 1917
油彩‧畫布，92.7 x 76.8公分。艾賽琳麥金尼為紀念哥哥葛蘭福特麥金尼而致贈。影像 © 信託委員會，國家藝廊，華盛頓特區。
Oil on canvas, 36 1/2 x 30 1/4 in. (92.7 x 76.8 cm.). Gift of Ethelyn McKinney in memory of her brother, Glenn Ford McKinney. Image courtesy of the Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.紐約第五大道上盟軍旗幟飄揚，象徵美國的富裕承平與道德勇氣。
The painting portrays the moral and financial supremacy of the U.S.
-
19a. 言論自由，1943年週六晚報插畫（FREEDOM OF SPEECH）by NORMAN ROCKWELL, 1943
刊載於1943年2月20日。油彩‧畫布，116.205 x 90.170公分。諾曼洛克威爾藝術收藏信託，諾曼洛克威爾博物館，史塔克布里吉，麻州。
The Saturday Evening Post, February 20, 1943. Oil on canvas, 45 3/4 x 35 1/2 in. (116.205 x 90.170 cm.). The Norman Rockwell Art Collection Trust, from the permanent collection of the Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, Mass.小羅斯福總統的「四大自由」在諾曼洛克威爾畫筆下更具號召力。
Roosevelt’s four essential human freedoms failed to gain traction until Rockwell put them into portraits.
-
19b. 1965年塞爾馬到蒙哥馬利投票權遊行（MARCH FOR VOTING RIGHTS）by JAMES KARALES, 1965
照片，收藏於詹姆斯卡拉列斯收藏系列，杜克大學稀有書籍、手抄本和特別收藏圖書館。
Photographic print. Located in the James Karales Collection, Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke University.兩萬多名群眾展開連續四天爭取投票權大遊行。此照傳達對自由的渴望，成為民權運動的時代見證，歷經半世紀依舊迴盪人心。
On March 25, 1965, 25,000 participants concluded a four-day, 54-mile march for voting rights in Alabama. Karales’s photograph illustrates how the desire for freedom is the shared heritage of all Americans. It also captures a timeless image from a fleeting moment - one that still haunts the American conscience.
