SEE THE UNSEEN

Sight depends on our vantage point

With the Fourth of July upon us, we think anew about America when it was new and ask about its renewal.

I had the privilege of being in New York City in May, the same month two new sites opened with the intent of raising our sights on America. The new Whitney Museum of American Art, designed by the renowned architect Renzo Piano (who also designed Dallas’ Nasher Sculpture Center) sits stunningly along the Hudson River. It houses an inaugural exhibit titled “America Is Hard to See,” based on a line from a Robert Frost poem. It traces key works of art from the 20th century that attempt to give insight into the character of our country.

Frost’s poem includes this stanza (the “he” is Columbus): “America is hard to see./ Less partial witnesses than he/ In book on book have testified/ They could not see it from outside—/ Or inside either for that matter./ We know the literary chatter.”

The Whitney wants to move us from literary chatter to artistic matter. It hopes to show that painting and sculpture have an eye for America that gets to its heart more than words can.