Painting > The Athens of the West

In the 1860’s, Faribault, was considered a cultural mecca, and thus became widely known as “The Athens of the West.” In 1914, an unknown author wrote: “The resemblance of the most beautiful young city of Minnesota to the Ancient Grecian metropolis arises from the topography of Faribault, the cosmopolitan character, the culture and refinement of its citizens, the large number of temples of worship and the fame and excellence of its schools.” I taught visual art at one of these revered educational institutions for nine years and approached this series of paintings as would a wide-eyed traveler who arrived to the fair city 100 years too late. “Athens of the West” pays tribute to a sleepy, blue-collar Midwestern town and reveals the artist’s keen curiosity and appreciation for what Faribault has been, what it is and what it could have become.

The Narrow Passage of Thermopylae
Oil on canvas
20” x 24”
2014
The Street of Tripods
Oil on canvas
24” x 30”
2014
The Acropolis
Oil on canvas
30” x 36”
2014
The Parthenon
Oil on canvas
21” x 23”
2014
The Hill of the Muses
Oil on canvas
20" x 24"
2014
The Choragic Monument of Lysicrates
Oil on canvas
20" x 24"
2014
The Propylaea
Oil on canvas
24” x 30”
2014
The Odeon of Herodes Atticus
Oil on canvas
30" x 30"
2014
Behind the Kapeleion
Oil on canvas
2014
The Odeum of Pericles
Oil on canvas
2014
The Agora
Oil on canvas
18" x 24"
2014
The Hill of the Nymphs
Oil on canvas
18" x 24"
2014