We had the opportunity to view Cynthia Daignault’s wonderful large-scale artwork, Light Atlas, as part of the Georgia O’Keeffe exhibit, the Beyond, at the North Carolina Art Museum. Daigault is an American painter known for multi-part installations of paintings that follow a theme.
Light Atlas began when, during a conversation, Daignault realized that she could name the works of 100 men whose work defines America, but couldn’t think of a single woman whose work did the same. In 2014, she started off on a year-long journey to explore America and to create a record of her experience. She traveled along the outside border of the country, stopping every 25 miles to document, through sketches and photos, what she saw. The trip covered 30,000 miles and created a virtual 360-degree portrait of the United States.
Daignault used her sketches and photos to create 360 small paintings that show all aspects of America, both the beautiful and the, at times, mundane. It’s an interesting work of art and one the proves the adage that the whole is greater than the parts. Light Atlas could easily keep your attention for hours, which, in these times of short attention spans, is not an easy task. If you have the opportunity to view Light Atlas, it’s well worth the time.
Mostly True 