Mother Oak by Mark Workman acrylic on paper |
A Perspective on Art in
Lancaster and Chester Counties, Pennsylvania
By selecting a sampling of the work of the area's
best artists, the project highlights the artists of Lancaster and
Chester Counties in southeastern Pennsylvania from 1700 to the
present, reflecting the diversity of talent and creativity in the
region's art community. Inspired by the many historic landmarks,
picturesque villages, covered bridges, barns and farm buildings,
artists in the area have predominantly painted in a realistic
style, yet avant-garde and contemporary works are becoming more
numerous. Although oil paintings are still abundant, the most
popular medium still appears to be watercolor. Sculptural works in
bronze and other cast materials, mixed media and stone are also
represented in the area's art. While the ability to achieve
recognition and make a decent living practicing their art is still
elusive for most artists, the area of Lancaster and Chester
Counties has produced many notable exceptions; they have gone on to
garner fame and fortune at the local, national, and/or
international level.
The narrative covers early area artists born between
1776 and 1900, including Arthur Armstrong, George Cope, Jacob
William Deichler, Charles Demuth, Jacob Eichholtz, Wharton
Esherick, Albert VanNesse Greene, Ida Ella Jones, Luigi Persico,
Horace Pippin, Ludwig Reingruber, David McNeely Stauffer, and
Benjamin West, one of the earliest American artists to achieve
fame. West became a noted portraitist in England and was elected
President of the prestigious Royal Academy. Daphne Landis, the
narrative's author, includes background on the artists, which is
accompanied by photographs of their works.
The next section of the narrative, "Artists of the
Twentieth Century" profiles contemporary artists in Chester and
Lancaster Counties born after 1900. Included are profiles of and
samples of the art of Eleanor Allen, Robert Andriulli, John Baker,
Richard Blake, Tom Bostelle, David Brumbach, Lucius Crowell, Joyce
deGuatemala, Harry Dunn, Lillian Falgie, Susan Gottlieb, Art
Harrington, Joann Hensel, Philip Jamison, Michael Kahn, Jack
Kaiser, Mitch Lyons, Maria de los Angeles Morales, George Porter,
Jon Redmond, Peg Richards, Fred Rodger, Barclay Rubincam, Doris
Sams, Suk Shuglie, John Suplee, Dane Tilghman, Donna Usher, Edwin
Vander Noot, Brett Anderson Walker, Paul Wescott, Mark Workman, and
Lynn Yancha .
An entire section of the narrative is dedicated to
the most famous of area artists, the Wyeths. Profiled are three
generations of Wyeth artists: Newell Convers Wyeth (1882-1945),
Andrew Wyeth (1917- ), and James Browning Wyeth (1946 - ). Although
all were from Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, just over the Chester
County line, it seemed remiss not to include them in this
perspective. There is an additional section on the
Phoenixville
Mural, by Meg Fish and Michael Webb. The mural is a dramatic
tableau depicting the history of Phoenixville, an early center of
iron making in Pennsylvania .
Finally, the narrative spotlights the work of area
art associations, the Chester County Art Association and Historic
Yellow Springs, an artists' community until 1952. Ms. Landis also
provides a bibliography / sources for the artist information she
presents.
Originally submitted by: Joseph R. Pitts, Representative (16th District).
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The Local Legacies project provides a "snapshot" of American Culture as it was expressed in spring of 2000. Consequently, it is not being updated with new or revised information with the exception of "Related Website" links.
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