Diana

At a time when new artistic styles were emerging, the American painter Kenyon Cox was a strong defender of the academic tradition, rooted in classical study and modes of expression. Trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadephia and at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Cox also traveled and studied in Italy, where he immersed himself in the work of Renaissance masters. Believing that art should function as a unifying social force, he criticized the modern styles of his day for their increased reliance on individual expression. Cox is best known for his large-scale works for public buildings. The Wisconsin State Capitol building has two works by Cox, a glass mosaic in the dome and a triptych oil painting in the Senate chamber. This small painting of Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt, and of nature, fertility, and childbirth, is classical both in theme and in style. Cox was known for skilled and careful compositions, qualities that are evident in this highly idealized and naturalistic depiction. The carefully rendered lines of Diana’s form stand out against the indistinct natural landscape of the background. She holds a long bow and quiver and wears a crescent moon on her head, all her symbols, or attributes. In ancient Greek art, she is known as the goddess Artemis, and is depicted on Greek vases in the museum’s collection on view in Brittingham Gallery I.