Blog @ the Nelson-Atkins

I visited the Art Sinsabaugh exhibit, American Horizons, again today and decided to watch the video that accompanies the exhibit. The video was really fascinating and gave such interesting insight into the artist, his life and work.

When I go to museums, I spend a lot of time thinking about the artists themselves – their inspiration, their thought process, their creativity – and wonder where it all comes from. The Art Sinsabaugh video was wonderful for me, because it answered many of those very questions.

It was great to hear all about his childhood, which was surprisingly normal. Sinsabaugh, who found so much inspiration from the world around him, was initially inspired by the American landscape on family vacations as a child. So much so that he later retraced his family’s steps and photographed many of those vacation spots later in life.

The video included many quotes from the artist that were personal and enlightening about his work. Sinsabaugh’s wife and the exhibition curator think one of the most provocative elements to his work is that he always managed to include something of himself in each photograph. Sinsabaugh saw photography as a combination of the world’s and creator’s truth. Photography was a way for him to explore himself, his ideas, his world; the medium became his channel for self-expression.

After gaining much insight from the video, I walked through the exhibit. All the photographs had such more meaning and interest to me now that I understood a little more about Art Sinsabaugh. I felt like just maybe I was getting a closer glimpse at what he saw in his work. If you are interested in artist’s lives as well as their work, I highly suggest reserving 30 minutes of your time for this little flick. I may just be daring enough to encourage you to see the exhibit backwards: start with the video and then see the exhibit. You can thank me later.