Edited by Mina Rieur Weiner; 2009; 160 pp.
W.W. Norton & Company; Hardcover

Edwin Howland Blashfield (1893–1917) was a leading member of the Society of Mural Painters, founded in 1895 to encourage the integration of murals, mosaics, and sculpture with the architecture of the great public buildings of the Gilded Age. Rigorously trained in Italy and Paris, Blashfield gained an awareness of the history of art that is apparent in the many stylistic references seen in his paintings, ranging from Medievalism to Classicism and even the symbolism of the Aesthetic Movement. His work graces federal and state buildings, churches, and private homes throughout the United States, and thus continues to affect Americans today. The four essays of this book present the artist’s biography, interpretations of his major works, a discussion of his method, and his legacy. Over 100 large color photographs—many taken expressly for this publication—and extensive new scholarship combine with an exhaustive list of known murals, a detailed chronology, and a bibliography to make this work valuable either as an introduction to the artist or for the reader already aware of this great American muralist.