America, Ohio, Cleveland / 1912
Wisdom and Destiny
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Wisdom and Destiny as painting (America, Ohio, Cleveland · 1912).
Henry Keller's cousin once reminisced, "He is the only noted artist who doesn’t smoke, that I ever heard of."
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as oil on canvas and credits Henry Keller (American, born Germany, 1869–1949).
The museum's collection notes: Henry Keller championed modern art in Cleveland through lectures, teaching, and the example of his own work. Wisdom and Destiny , based on an essay by the Belgian writer Maurice Maeterlinck, features the two allegorical figures at the right, while a carefree shepherd at the left seems oblivious to their existence. The painting was featured in the famed Armory Show of 1913, a large-scale traveling exhibition often credited with introducing the American public to avant-garde art. Because of the critical success surrounding Wisdom and Destiny , Keller was commissioned to create a 70-foot mural of the composition for Cleveland City Hall. However,
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtWisdom and DestinyOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.