Arts & Culture

A great painting has many meanings. The oil painting of The Threatened Swan by Dutch Artist Jan Asselijn was created around 1650. The swan appears to be threatened by a dog rearing its ugly head. Some claim the swan is mute. The swan could be protecting its cygnets, as they often ride on their mother’s back, although none are seen. 

For the past year, a veritable feast of French Impressionist paintings has been touring the United States. Organized in partnership with the American Federation of the Arts and originating at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia, the exhibition called “Farm to Table: Art, Food, and Identity in the Age of Impressionism” was designed to coincide with a worldwide celebration of the 150th anniversary of the first-ever Impressionist exhibition in Paris. Since the exhibition’s debut last fall at the Chrysler, it has gone on to the Frist Art Museum in Nashville and the Cincinnati Art Museum in Ohio. Late last month the exhibit opened at the Seattle Art Museum, where it will be on view until January 18, 2026.