Selections from the Permanent Collections
March 12,  2004 -

Even before early societies felt comfortable dealing with representations of the human figure, there has never been any hesitation by artists in the creation of paintings, drawings or sculptures showing animals. Some of the earliest drawings found in the caves of Lascaux show horses and bison, both as single images and in herds.

Since then all of the major cultures of the world have created animal images. There has always been an affinity for the grace, speed, splendor and magic found in the animal kingdom. It should come as no surprise that many American folk artists have also used animals for inspiration.

Included in this exhibition can be found a wonderful assortment of animals, both real and imagined, both wild and domesticated, but all created with a truly personal touch by the many artists represented.

We hope that you like our zoo.

Fritz Vogt's Rural New York
June 6 - August 31, 2004

Organized by the New York State Historical Association
Fenimore Art Museum
Cooperstown, New York


The artistic career of itinerant folk artist Fritz G. Vogt (1842-1900) illustrates the great irony of a homeless man who expressed an intimate knowledge of the idea of home. Between 1890 and 1900, Vogt traveled the counties west of Albany, often on foot, and produced over 200 distinctive architectural portraits featuring farms, homes, and business in rural New York. Vogt's linear drawings capture an extraordinary level of detail, while infusing the subject with a romanticized serenity. The drawings display a skewed perspective where artistic convention and even laws of physics are routinely disregarded to depict as much information as possible about the subject. This intentional sacrifice of visual reality provides a window into the artist's personal viewpoint and a striking representation of rural America's architecture, agriculture, commerce, and social history. Drawn Home: Fritz Vogt's Rural New York explores the artist's unique perspective and reveals his unprecedented catalogue of rural life.

In the summer of 1890, Fritz G. Vogt immigrated to America from Germany. Oral history provides colorful characterization of the artist, but historical records yield little information.
Today, Vogt is best understood directly through his art. Fortunately, Vogt's body of work provides a wealth of meaningful information about the artist and his times.

In his aim to depict simple farms as flourishing estates, Vogt strove to reveal every building on the property, regardless of whether they were visible from a single perspective. When composing a drawing, Vogt altered the actual physical placement of buildings so each could be admired. He went a step further by flattening his subject matter on the visual plane so that two, and sometimes three, sides of a structure were visible. Employing multiple-point perspective, Vogt dramatically altered depth and scale, allowing the viewer to survey the entire scene. Vogt's drawings also demonstrate an obsession with meticulous detail. Although he most likely derived his fascination with architectural form from training as a draftsman, his keen eye served his purposes and his patrons' wishes.

On January 1, 1900, Vogt died at the age of 58 after suffering from the complications of rheumatoid arthritis. Today, Vogt's life remains an enigma. Nonetheless, his artistic record speaks volumes about his motivation to draw his general outlook on life. Fritz Vogt's skillfully manipulated renditions of these farms and homesteads allow us to experience the warmth and radiance of these seemingly inanimate structures.

This exhibition was organized by the
New York State Historical Association/Fenimore Art Museum.
The exhibit was curated by W. Parker Hayes, Jr.

From the collections of local art collectors I.S.K. Reeves V and Sara W. Reeves, ledger art is based on the utilization of a variety of paper taken from ledger books, either those commercially used or U.S. Army forms, and depicts individual events. Typically the art serves as a visual record of annual events. Many Sioux and Cheyenne warriors used this art form to create autobiographical depictions of events to demonstrate characteristics of honor and fearlessness and elevate their status within the tribe.