Art and artists...

The library of congress recently posted an online exhibit titled Bound for Glory: America in Color, 1939-1943 that shows, for the first time, seventy of the only color pictures taken during the depression. As they state, this exhibition reveals a surprisingly vibrant world that has typically been viewed only through black-and-white images. These vivid scenes and portraits capture the effects of the Depression on America's rural and small town populations, the nation's subsequent economic recovery and industrial growth, and the country's great mobilization for World War II. Seeing the color photos, and spectacular color photos at that, of this time period is simply stunning, particularly #2, #9, #19, #39, #54, #55, #56, and #64.

For some reason, seeing these pictures made me think of an exhibit of Gordon Park's work that my wife and I saw down at the Cincinnati Art Museum a few years ago. Parks is an amazing artist, one of the few true renaissance men of the twentieth century - a great photographer, an impressive painter, and even a movie director.

As a bonus, I point you toward an up and coming artist's website that just went online.