RICHMOND, VA.- An exhibition at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts exploreS how artists use movement to create spirited and expressive masterpieces. "Speed" will remain on view at VMFA through Jan. 7. The exhibition will be free and open to the public. "All over the world and throughout history, speed and motion in art can mean much more than just going fast," says Sandra Rusak, one of the exhibition's two curators.

"From the sleek beauty of a racing yacht to the pageantry of an African dance, expressions of speed in art can communicate motion and emotion," she says.

The exhibition's other curator, Aiesha Halstead, says artists take advantage of people's innate ability not only to see motion in real life but also to perceive it in static art.

"By observing simple brush strokes, we are able to calculate potential movement. 'Speed' will encourage an exploration of how artists of many cultures and through various media have dramatically conveyed speed and motion in their work," Halstead says.

Rusak is VMFA's associate director for education and outreach, and Halstead is VMFA's coordinator of exhibitions planning.

Rusak makes the point that references to movement pepper everyday speech. "We say 'slower than molasses' or 'faster than greased lightning.' We complain about 'the rat race', praise 'the slow food movement' and look for better ways to 'pace' ourselves. It is interesting to note that the archaic definition of 'quick' does not refer to speed, but rather to life itself," she says.

"Artists, too, think about movement - both implied and actual - in many ways, for example how to convey a sense of motion on a flat surface or in a static sculpture. The artistic manipulation of actual movement - in mobiles and rapid brushwork or in the photographer's control of shutter speed - informs much of modern art. Artists combine notions of time, space and motion to visually reflect new ideas in surprising and sometimes challenging ways."

Halstead says the exhibition explores not only a literal view of movement in art, such as in Alan D'Arcangelo's 1963 American painting "Highway US 1, Panel 3."

"'Speed' also considers the dialogue between the artists' intentions and the viewers' perceptions. Was a brush stroke slow and deliberate or quick and unrestrained? How can we tell the difference?" Halstead asks.

Other works to be featured in the show include American artist James E. Buttersworth's 19th-century painting "A Racing Yacht on the Great South Bay," Richmond native Stephen Fox's 1990 painting "Roadside," a 19th- or 20th-century Eshu dance hook made by a Yoruba artist, black American artist Jacob Lawrence's 1943 watercolor "Subway - Home from Work" and German artist Johan Ferdinand Preiss' 1925-1930 sculpture "Breasting the Tape."

Halstead says the exhibition, which will include 49 works, is "an experiment in cross-cultural art interpretation, following a single concept down several avenues of discovery and rediscovery."

"Speed" is part of VMFA's four-exhibition "Look Here" series highlighting its own collection. They are being shown during construction for VMFA's expansion, a time when many galleries will be closed. Three of the four will also travel around the state to VMFA partner institutions.

Following its Richmond showing, "Speed" will be on view in Roanoke at the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum at Hollins University (Sept.-Nov. 2007), in Newport News at the Peninsula Fine Arts Center (Jan.-March 2008) and in Charlottesville at the University of Virginia Art Museum (May-July 2008).

The "Look Here" exhibitions are sponsored by SunTrust with support from the Commonwealth of Virginia. Additional support was provided by the Richard S. Reynolds Foundation, the Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans Exhibitions Endowment, the Fabergé Ball Endowment, the Fabergé Society and The Council of VMFA.

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is an educational institution of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The museum is on the Boulevard at Grove Avenue. The galleries are open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors are encouraged to keep the museum free to all by making a donation ($5 suggested). For additional information about exhibitions and programs, telephone (804) 340-1400 or visit the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Web site, www.vmfa.museum.