Chaos and Awe: Painting for the 21st Century : Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Virginia

Chaos and Awe: Painting for the 21st Century is a sweeping survey of contemporary art from around the world that weaves together images of the physical world, memories, emotions, and the virtual world. Works from thirty-six international artists dramatically suggest the powerful, exciting, and destabilizing effects of 21st-century forces such as globalism, mass migration, radical ideologies, and the rapid expansion of technology.

Chaos and Awe’s thesis stems from the 18th-century philosophical idea of the sublime, feeling overwhelmed by the immeasurable nature of God and the natural world. The profound nature of the subject matter, paired with the masterly technique on display, may overwhelm, disturb and thrill audiences. These reactions affirm the enduring ability of painting to communicate nascent and often unnamable ideas, emotions, and sensations.