Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens

Left: Library Building, Right: Virginia Scott Gallery, 1999, photos by John Hazeltine

San Marino, CA

(626) 405-2141 www.huntington.org

Ruth Weisberg: Canto V: A Whirlwind of Lovers

November 17, 1999 - January 30, 2000

A mural-size composition by artist Ruth Weisberg, inspired by Dante's Inferno, will be on view in The Huntington's Virginia Steele Scott Gallery. Created specially for The Huntington by Weisberg, dean of the School of Fine Arts at the University of Southern California, the mural measures 12 feet by 24 feet and is executed on gessoed paper with pencil and watercolor. "Canto V: A Whirlwind of Lovers" grew out of a visit made by Weisberg to The Huntington almost three years ago to view works by William Blake from the museum's collection.

The artist's imagination was sparked by Blake's illustration to Canto V of Dante's Inferno as well as by the poet's own description of the second circle of Hell, where the lustful are swept along by strong winds like starlings in a winter sky. The adulterous lovers of Dante's poem seem doomed to spiral through eternity in a passionless embrace. In Weisberg's monumental painting--a pensive exploration of the nature of passion and love--couples come together but remain emotionally separate, suggesting that despite the intensity of the moment in which the lovers should be transported, there is no true merging of spirits.

Weisberg will discuss her work during a gallery talk about the exhibit on Sunday, November 21, at 2:30. The talk will be repeated on Sunday, January 9, at 2:30.

Images from top to bottom: Ruth Weisberg, Out of the Whirlwind, 1999, 37 1/2 x 29 3/4 inches, mixed media drawing; Ruth Weisberg working on Canto V: A Whirlwind of Lovers, overall dimensions 12 x 24 feet. Images courtesy of the artist.

Read more about the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in Resource Library Magazine.

Be sure to visit more of Resource Library Magazine with museum exhibition news, stories on American art, calendars, and more. Here are links to selected sections of the magazine:

• Feature Stories Indexed by Publication Date
• Museum Exhibition Stories Indexed by Institution and Geography
• Other Exhibition Articles Indexed by Organization
• Feature Stories Indexed by Subject and Media
• Museum Calendar of Exhibitions, Current and Future Years
• Milestones, Including Appointments, New Buildings, etc.
• Methods and Sources of Appraisals, Authentication, Conservation and Artist Identification
• Art Law by Columnist Ann Avery Andres,
• Art Sellers' Showcase
• Books, Magazines, Videos & CD-ROM's
• Cameos of Historic American Art Collections
• Distinguished Artists, Including an Alphabetical Index of Over 1,000 Deceased American Artists
• Dunbier on American Art and Fine Art Valuation, a Series of Columns by Dr. Roger Dunbier
• The Plein Air Scene by Columnist Sarah Beserra
• Magazine Table of Contents
• Advertising Options
• Do You Like Resource Library? Recommend-It (tm) to a Friend or Colleague!

Copyright 1996-1999 Traditional Fine Art Online, Inc. All rights reserved.

• Links to to other TFAOI.COM divisions.
• Miscellaneous links to sites outside of TFAOI.COM.