High above Park Avenue—and in a few scattered museums—McCartan’s art still remains, an expression of delight in the sensual world.

Westerns were a medium through which writers and directors explored profound philosophical themes, in which Hollywood articulated ideas in ways it’s seldom attempted since.

New frontiers typically have been explored and tamed, not by government entities but by entrepreneurs who, thanks to the profit motive, have found more efficient and sustainable pathways to discovery and innovation. There’s no reason why the final frontier can’t be settled the same way.

“I do not share the gloomy thought that Negroes in America are doomed to be stomped out,” wrote Zora Neale Hurston. “We will go where the internal drive carries us like everybody else. It is up to the individual.”

John Milton was a great poet, but he has such a daunting reputation for solemnity that few people read him for pleasure. That’s unfortunate because it deprives potential readers of experience with his brilliant writing.

“It is personal action that preceded every major advancement in this country. This is the aspect of being American that gives me the greatest sense of pride.” —René Marie

John White Alexander’s paintings demonstrated refined romanticism and a sense of benevolent, sunlit tranquility.

Art deco sought to reconcile industrial mass production with the fine arts in a way that was both inspirational and elegant: to replace the stately permanence of classical architecture with a vibrancy and dynamism appropriate to the new technological age.

The “real challenge” of cinematic music, said Jerry Goldsmith, “is to write a score that works brilliantly in a film, and also has a life of its own.” For half a century, his music bested that challenge.

Dr. Ruth's career has been resolutely committed to human flourishing—a flourishing that includes emotional and sexual fulfillment.

Allergy medications enhance the lives of millions of people, and contrary to some “experts,” there’s nothing vain or immoral about them.

John Marshall patiently upheld the principle of dual sovereignty and set vital legal precedents for America in her infancy.

Monticello, by America's first native-born architect, Thomas Jefferson, is a window into the mind of this most complex and captivating of Founders.

Among the stars of silent film, Buster Keaton stands out as a uniquely inventive talent.

Harvard professor Steven Pinker lays out a powerful case for cultural optimism in his book Enlightenment Now.