Brandywine River Museum of Art Explores World War I Influence on Artists in New Lecture Series
N. C. Wyeth (1882-1945). The Americans at Château-Thierry, 1918 / 1919. Oil on canvas mounted on hardboard, 36 1/8 x 44 ¼ in. Private collection, West Chester, PA
Chadds Ford, PA, June 2, 2017 — History and art collide in a new lecture series at the Brandywine River Museum of Art that will explore the impact of World War I on regional artists, especially the works of N.C. and Andrew Wyeth. Coinciding with the Museum's centennial celebrations surrounding Andrew Wyeth's birth in 1917 and the upcoming Andrew Wyeth: In Retrospect exhibition opening on June 24, the lecture series also marks 100 years since America entered the Great War. Entitled "Brandywine Artists and WWI", the series will run at the Museum on June 14, July 19, and September 13.
Attendees will discover how World War I influenced the work and lives of artists from this region throughout the series, presented by Christine B. Podmaniczky, Curator of N.C. Wyeth Collections and Historic Properties. Each lecture will highlight the work of different regional artists impacted by the war. Starting with war imagery produced by students of Howard Pyle, and then exploring N.C. Wyeth's body of war-themed work, the series ends with a focus on Andrew Wyeth's fascination with WWI and the enduring effect his imaginative childhood "war memory" had on his career.
Lecture topics:
Wednesday, June 14, 11 a.m. — Over There and Over Here: The Students of Howard Pyle Go to War
With the American entry into World War I, illustrators were in great demand to create images that served to illustrate news reports and propaganda. This lecture looks at the war imagery produced by some of the students of Howard Pyle—those who went abroad to record the conflict and those who worked for the cause at home.
Wednesday, July 19, 11 a.m. — On the Home Front: N. C. Wyeth and World War I
N. C. Wyeth contributed to the war effort from his studio in Chadds Ford. This lecture surveys the body of his war-themed work, and particularly examines how he kept his images vital and relevant without firsthand experience.
Wednesday, September 13, 11 a.m. — Andrew Wyeth’s Great War
As a boy in the mid-1920s, Andrew Wyeth was fascinated with WWI. This lecture considers how, through the props and imagery he found in his father’s studio and his collection of military soldiers, Wyeth created his own “war memory” that would nourish aspects of his art throughout his career.
The series cost for all three lectures is $35 (members, $25); individual lectures are $15 each (members, $10). All lectures will take place in the lecture room at the Brandywine River Museum of Art, located on Route 1 in Chadds Ford.
The Brandywine River Museum of Art features an outstanding collection of American art housed in a 19th-century mill building with a dramatic steel and glass addition overlooking the banks of the Brandywine. The Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (except Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day), and is located on Route 1 in Chadds Ford, PA. Admission is $18 for adults, $15 for seniors ages 65 and over, $6 for students and children ages six and up; free for children ages five and younger and Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art members. For more information, call 610.388.2700 or visit brandywinemuseum.org.
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