"In every work of genius we recognize our own rejected thoughts; they come back to us with a certain alienated majesty." -- Emerson

i came upon these words of Emerson's while looking through a book about Edward Hopper. Better than any others I know, they capture the intense self-realization that great works of art produce in us. Looking at a Vermeer masterpiece, we dimly sense something essential about our own souls, something forgotten but not vanished. Maybe we're drawn to art for just this reason: to bring to the surface the thoughts we've buried.

In search of this moment, and to inaugurate the Salon Gallery, we asked five artists -- Georganne Deen from Los Angeles, Janie Geiser from New York City, Jordin Isip and Melinda Beck from Brooklyn and Christian Northeast from Toronto -- to create works on the theme of death. The results are unique and unpredictable -- and hopefully will trigger something in all of you.

A separate space for the illustrations that have appeared on our site, the Salon Gallery will also serve to display occasional thematic shows like this one.

We hope you enjoy it.

-- Elizabeth Kairys, Associate Art Director

These images are about 90k, so they may take a few moments to download.