There Is No Easy Way from the Earth to the Stars

Gaetano Cecere, There Is No Easy Way from the Earth to the Stars, 1933, bronze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the heirs of Albert Laessle: Mrs. Albertine de Bempt Laessle, Mr. Albert M. Laessle and Mr. Paul Laessle, 1972.167.21
Copied Gaetano Cecere, There Is No Easy Way from the Earth to the Stars, 1933, bronze, 2 78 in. (7.3 cm) diam., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the heirs of Albert Laessle: Mrs. Albertine de Bempt Laessle, Mr. Albert M. Laessle and Mr. Paul Laessle, 1972.167.21

Artwork Details

Title
There Is No Easy Way from the Earth to the Stars
Commissioner
Society of Medallic Arts
Founder
Medallic Art Company
Date
1933
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
2 78 in. (7.3 cm) diam.
Credit Line
Gift of the heirs of Albert Laessle: Mrs. Albertine de Bempt Laessle, Mr. Albert M. Laessle and Mr. Paul Laessle
Mediums
Mediums Description
bronze
Classifications
Keywords
  • Figure group — nude
  • Animal — horse
  • Landscape — celestial — star
Object Number
1972.167.21

Artwork Description

The reverse of Gaetano Cecere’s creation for the Society of Medalists adapts a quotation from Seneca, the Roman playwright of the first century AD. The obverse shows three nude figures and the mythological horse Pegasus, evoking the efforts of mortals throughout the ages to transcend their limitations. This imagery was especially popular in the 1930s, when Americans struggled to overcome the devastation of the Great Depression and look to a brighter future.