Thoth distribution@thoth.pub 20260405T205648

urn:uuid:31255664-409e-4c57-8ee6-dbee9aa4fb7a 03 01 01 urn:uuid:31255664-409e-4c57-8ee6-dbee9aa4fb7a 15 9781800647589 06 10.11647/OBP.0304 00 EB E107 10 Creative Commons License 02 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ 01 01 William Rimmer Champion of Imagination in American Art 1 A01 Dorinda Evans 01 eng 00 250 03 12 ABA 10 ART015020 04 NB237.R6 B2 Visual Arts 20 William Rimmer 12 AFC 10 ART026000 20 modernist sculptor 12 AG 20 American sculptor 10 ART015100 12 ACV 10 ART016000 20 physician 12 AFKB 10 SCI056000 20 teacher of art anatomy 20 Cooper Union School of Design for Women 12 MFC 12 HBTB 12 JFC 03 00 William Rimmer (1816–1879) is arguably the first modernist American sculptor, although his inventive originality has not been fully acknowledged. Rimmer cultivated an art of ideas and personal expression whilst supporting himself as a physician and, later, as a teacher of art anatomy at the Cooper Union School of Design for Women in New York. Unlike his contemporaries, he advocated the creation of sculpture drawn entirely from the artist’s imagination, as opposed to antique archetypes or live models. In this way, he sought to reframe excellence in American art as something that must be found within, rather than derived from Europe. In this new monograph, the meaning of Rimmer’s works is for the first time considered from a combination of perspectives, such as close visual analysis (including X-ray and infrared), historical documentation, and social context. These are enriched with discussion of the artist’s own bipolar disorder, deeply-held spiritualism, and views on gender equality—considering women just as talented as men, he used naked male models in all-female classes long before his contemporaries, and produced an allegorical sculpture of fighting lions that criticized the tyranny of men over women.This book will be of great interest to academics, students, art museums, collectors, dealers, art historians, and members of the public with an affinity for Rimmer’s work. It will also appeal to those with a broader interest in American culture. 04 00 Acknowledgments ix 1. A Secret Inheritance 1 2. The Two-Dimensional Portraits in Context 23 3. Self-Expression in Flight and Pursuit 51 4. Swedenborg and Enigmatic Pictures 81 5. A Challenge to International Neoclassicism 117 6. Visionary Depictions 165 7. The Death and Legacy of a Maverick Artist 197 Selected Bibliography 209 List of Illustrations 225 Index 231 20 00 Open Access Open Book Publishers 01 Open Book Publishers Cambridge, UK 04 01 20221205 13 15 9781800647572 09 Open Book Publishers 29 Publisher's website: download the title https://books.openbookpublishers.com/10.11647/obp.0304.pdf 99 01 09 Open Book Publishers 02 Publisher's website: web shop https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0304 99 01