The National Gallery in London is presenting a small but striking exhibition featuring Edwin Austin Abbey's preparatory works for monumental murals that once decorated the Pennsylvania State Capitol. The centerpiece is Abbey's compositional study for "The Hours," a massive circular painting that adorned the capitol building's ceiling as a bold testament to American power and prosperity at the turn of the 20th century.
Abbey's journey from American-born artist to internationally commissioned muralist reflects the cultural ambitions of newly wealthy Pennsylvania in the early 1900s. Born in the United States in 1852, Abbey established his reputation in the United Kingdom before answering the call from Pennsylvania's political elite. When the state's capitol building in Harrisburg burned down in 1897, officials decided the replacement had to be grand, opulent, and lavishly decorated with gold leaf.
The exhibition's main attraction is Abbey's study for "The Hours," measuring an impressive 12 feet wide yet still only half the size of the original ceiling painting. Twenty-four figures representing the hours of the day dance around the composition's circumference in various states of undress. The nude figures yawn in the early morning light and appear somberly cloaked in black under the midnight moon, all set against a deep lapis blue sky dotted with twinkling golden stars.
Pennsylvania's abundant natural resources and vast industrial wealth funded this artistic extravagance, demonstrating how American states used art as soft power and cultural muscle-flexing. The commission represented a way for the newly rich Pennsylvania to announce its arrival as a major player on the international stage through audacious ostentation, gold leaf, and classical nudity. This approach mirrors centuries-old traditions of using elaborate art to consolidate and display state power.
The painting combines European artistic symbolism with an apparently unlimited budget, creating what critics describe as resembling the work of Odilon Redon crossed with Gustav Klimt but enhanced with American industrial wealth. The deep blue background and gold leaf create a hypnotic, atmospheric swirl that was designed to impress visitors to the state capitol building.
While visually striking, the study reveals some roughness in execution, with figures that aren't particularly well-defined or neatly outlined. This partly reflects its status as preparatory work and partly acknowledges that the final painting would be viewed from far below on the capitol ceiling, where fine details would be less noticeable.
The exhibition also displays six additional studies, including an exceptionally rough preparatory work for a large group portrait featuring American historical heroes such as Daniel Boone and Benjamin Franklin. These supplementary pieces, along with a small-scale model, provide insight into Abbey's creative process but leave viewers wanting to see the finished monumental works.
Critics note that while the wall text suggests this exhibition aims to restore Abbey to the attention he deserves, the collection of rough studies and preparatory works doesn't make an entirely convincing argument for his artistic significance. The presentation feels somewhat like introducing audiences to a forgotten painter on one of his less polished days rather than showcasing his full capabilities.
The exhibition carries particular contemporary relevance as it highlights how political leaders have historically used art to project power and waste precious resources in the process. The parallels to modern political aesthetics and the ongoing relationship between wealth, power, and artistic patronage remain strikingly apparent in today's cultural landscape.
"Edwin Austin Abbey: By the Dawn's Early Light" runs at the National Gallery in London from November 20 through February 15, offering visitors a chance to examine this intersection of American industrial wealth, artistic ambition, and political propaganda through the lens of one artist's monumental commission.
