Stacked 

Dan Graziano painted this oil on canvas, called 'Stacked,' at an unknown date. Books are heavy things, both physically and culturally. Here, the stack of books is precariously balanced, as if at any moment the pile might fall. In western culture, the presence of books signifies education, knowledge, and power. As visual shorthand, a stack of books speaks to institutions such as the library, the school, and the museum; those that preserve and organize knowledge and maintain their own authority through the control of information. Graziano's books don't appear new. They show their age, suggesting that these institutions, while powerful, might also be fragile. As an art historian, I am interested in the social conditions that shape artistic production. It is through an understanding of these conditions that we can explore the contingent meanings of art. Using primary sources such as historical documents, publications, and archival materials, we can come to a greater understanding of the values and ideas communicated through visual culture.