From: Susanna Reich <reichgolio_at_verizon.net>
Date: Sat, 13 Apr 2013 10:22:51 -0400

Thanks, Debbie, for bringing up the definition of art, and the implications of that definition (or definitions, as Rosanne proposes) in a cross-cultural context. My book, /Painting the Wild Frontier: The Art and Adventures of George Catlin /(Clarion, 2008, ages 10 and up) is a biography of a European American artist who painted what have become iconic images of Native Americans in the 19th century. While Catlin saw himself as "a friend to the Indian," today we inevitably, and rightly, ask questions about whether he was exploiting his subjects.

My goal in writing the book was to tell a fun adventure story that also explored the meaning of art--both on a personal level for the artist, as well as for the society in which he lived. White people's responses to Catlin's portraits of Native Americans over the course of his lifetime mirrored the evolving relationships between white and Indian cultures during the 19th century. As such, I hope the book provides young readers with a new way to experience American history, and to think about how art reflects the culture that produces it.
Received on Sat 13 Apr 2013 10:22:51 AM CDT