One of the galleries in CAM's Strokes of Genius exhibition features realistic works by early 20th-century artists, such as George Bellows, who painted "The Big Dory" in 1913.

If variety is the spice of life, then the Cincinnati Art Museum (CAM) is heating up. The current exhibition, Strokes of Genius, shows off 120 unique art works. The paintings and illustrations use a wide array of styles and genres; the exhibition ranges from America's colonial age to more contemporary pieces from the 20th century. The entire collection, which is being circulated by the New Britain Museum of American Art, is specific about one thing: It only includes American artists.

Julie Aronson, curator of American painting and sculpture at CAM, says this exhibition is one of the largest painting shows the museum has had in a while.

"The neat thing about this exhibition is that it includes art you wouldn't typically expect," she says. "When you think of Georgia O'Keeffe, you might think of a flower painting. But the O'Keeffe in the show, East River from the 30th Story of the Shelton Hotel, is of a New York panorama. So you can see something different."

Aronson's favorite pieces are a pair of portraits by Thomas Hart Benton and Denys Wortman, an artist known as a cartoonist. Their portraits of one another were created in different styles from the artists' typical works, giving viewers a different insight into each man. The large pieces are fun to look at because two guys who were great friends played off each other's idiosyncrasies to create fascinating images.

Another favorite of Aronson's includes a stunning landscape by Frederic Edwin Church, "West Rock, New Haven." The silvery sky and the quality of light in the painting are just two aspects that set this work off.

Strokes of Genius is organized chronologically and divided into six galleries. The first gallery is dedicated to colonial and federal American art, which highlights a large number of portraits. Be sure to check out Raphaelle Peale's still life, "Bowl of Peaches." This painting will make you want to reach out and touch them.

The next gallery focuses on the Hudson River "school," composed of a group of painters in the mid-19th century, including Thomas Cole and Frederic E. Church. They observed nature closely and saw the wilderness as a component of America's greatness. One impressive work to look for is "Seal Rock," painted in California by Prussian artist Albert Bierstadt.

The third gallery is dedicated to 19th-century American paintings. Here you'll find two works by Winslow Homer, one a Civil war picture. The other, "Butterflies," from 1878, shows a beautiful woman in a sporting outfit in the woods trying to catch butterflies. Known for his Civil War paintings among others, this work shows a less frequently seen side of the artist.

Aronson says there are many paintings by Cincinnati artists in this collection as well. Elizabeth Nourse, a 19th-century Mount Healthy native who died in 1938, worked outside of her usual style to paint a colorful portrait, "Head of an Algerian."

Another Cincinnati native is found in the fourth gallery, which focuses on American Impressionism. John Henry Twachtman painted "Niagara in Winter," a chilly image of Niagara Falls. The gallery also includes Childe Hassam's dramatic "Le Jour du Grand Prix," portraying Parisians in fancy clothes, parading down the street. The work is known for its sparkling light and color. Frederick Carl Frieseke's "The Bird Cage" shows the artist's talent for brushwork and color, as well as distinctive illumination qualities.

The fifth gallery offers works by artists from the first half of the 20th century, mostly realist paintings, like the Benton and Wortman portraits and George Wesley Bellows' "The Big Dory." Also included are paintings by Andrew Wyeth and two from his father, N.C. Wyeth, whose work is familiar to many from his illustrations for children's books.

The sixth gallery contains a mixed bag of works from the later 20th century. It includes abstraction, abstract impressionism, figurative painting and more. Fairfield Porter's "Laurence at the Piano" is a sweet picture of his son playing the piano. This gallery also offers work by the renowned Norman Rockwell.

"There are a lot of landscape and still life paintings, as well as paintings of everyday life and abstract paintings," Aronson says. "The diversity of work is one of the great strengths of this exhibition that appeals to the public."

Strokes of Genius comes to CAM from Connecticut's New Britain Museum of American Art, near Hartford, built more than a century ago. During a period of renovation and expansion, the museum is circulating pieces from its collection to select museums, including CAM, the only museum in the Midwest to show the full collection.

The show meshes perfectly with CAM's strong collection of American paintings and a lot of local interest in American art. Between the new Cincinnati Wing and CAM's second-floor galleries, many American artists are represented in the permanent galleries and the exhibition.

"There are wonderful things throughout the show, which is one of the reasons this show appealed so strongly to us," Aronson says. "There are a number of masterpieces."