Pennsylvania Art History - Other online information page four

Pennsylvania Art History

with an emphasis on representational art

Other online information page four

(above: Charles Willson Peale (1741-1827), The Artist in His Museum, 1822, oil on canvas, 103.7x 79.8 in. Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons*)

Pennsylvania Art Colonies: A Comparative History of Landscape, Craft, and Community is a 2025 article by Gemini 2.5 Pro which says: "This article examines the four most significant of...historic enclaves: the Impressionist hub at New Hope, the illustration-focused Brandywine School in Chadds Ford, the utopian Arts and Crafts experiment at Rose Valley, and the realist painting retreat at Scalp Level. These colonies were not a monolithic movement but a series of parallel experiments in art and life, each founded on a distinct philosophical basis...By examining the formation, artistic output, key figures, and eventual fate of each colony, this article will illuminate not only the rich history of art in Pennsylvania but also the broader cultural currents that shaped the identity of American art in the modern era.' Accessed 7/25

Pennsylvania Art History: An Evolving Canvas: Nature, Virtue, and Modernity, 1880-1940 is a 2025 article by Gemini 2.5 Pro which says: "The story of painting in Pennsylvania from 1880 to 1940 is a narrative of remarkable artistic dialogue. It is a conversation between the pastoral and the industrial, the local and the global, the traditional and the modern. Artists working within the state navigated a period of profound social and technological transformation, and their canvases reflect the complexities of their time. The era began with the quiet, spiritual landscapes of Tonalism, which gave way to the vibrant, sunlit canvases of the Pennsylvania Impressionists. This movement, the celebrated New Hope School, resolved the "Pennsylvania Paradox" -- the tension between an industrial reality and a pastoral ideal -- by consciously choosing to create an enduring vision of American identity rooted in the unspoiled beauty of the Delaware River Valley. Their work became a national expression, a testament to the power of a landscape untainted by the march of industry." Accessed 7/25

The Pennsylvania Landscape in Impressionism and Contemporary Art is a 2018 exhibit at the Woodmere Art Museum which says: "Among the strengths of Woodmere's collection is work by painters known today as the Pennsylvania Impressionists. This exhibition demonstrates how these artists explored the Pennsylvania landscape as a subject and investigated ideas that continue to resonate in the visual expression of contemporary art in Philadelphia." Accessed 10/18

Pennsylvania State Capitol Artists from Pennsylvania Capitol Preservation Committee. Accessed August, 2015.

Philadelphia Sketch Club website, which says: "On November 20, 1860, six "Bohemian" students from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, George F. Bensell and his brother, Edmund B. Bensell, Edward J. McIlhenny, Henry C. Bispham, John L. Gihon, and Robert Wylie met at 125 South 11th Street to form a "sketching club." They sought illustration and design opportunities not available at the Academy. Within months, other talented artists were added to the membership, including Stephen J. Ferris, a celebrated etcher and Thomas Moran, the great landscape artist...." Accessed August, 2015.

Picturing Pennsylvania Barns is a 2019 exhibit at the Reading Public Museum which says: "This exhibition explores images of rural southeastern Pennsylvania -- prints, watercolors, photographs, and paintings -- focusing on nineteenth-century barns. The traditional subject was enlisted by a group of American artists who embraced Modernism in the early decades of the twentieth century. For artists such as George Sotter, Charles Sheeler, and others, the pastoral landscapes, charming subjects, and historic vernacular architecture of rural Pennsylvania served as inspiration for new artistic approaches for the next generation". Also see 12/4/19 article in Reading Eagle. Accessed 5/20

Plastic Club website, which says: "Since 1897, The Plastic Club has been devoted to the promotion and preservation of the visual (plastic) arts in Philadelphia...." Accessed August, 2015. Also see A History of the Plastic Club by Barbara MacIlvaine, from the Plastic Club. Accessed July, 2015.

Rae Sloan Bredin: Harmony and Power is a 2018 exhibit at the Michener (James A.) Art Museum which says: "Rae Sloan Bredin (1881-1933) has long been known among the Pennsylvania Impressionists as a painter whose work is characterized by refinement and dignity, serenity and delicacy. His paintings depict life in New Hope and, unlike his local peers, often depict women and children in groups both out in nature as well as in intimate interiors. This exhibition will highlight works spanning Bredin's career, touching on his time as a student, instructor, and member of the New Hope Group." Also see 4/27/18 article in The Morning Call. Accessed 5/18

Rose Valley artists 1901-1911 from The Rose Valley Historical Society. Accessed August, 2015.

The Scumblers and their Shack at Edison in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, by Richard Oliver OSB and Chuck Rudy; from Richard Oliver OSB. Accessed August, 2015.

Spring in Pennsylvania is a 2020 virtual exhibit at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art which says: "Take a journey through Pennsylvania landscapes from our works on paper collection as the selection of artists pay tribute to the transformative power of nature." Accessed 1/21

The Way Back: The Paintings of George A. Weymouth is a 2018 exhibit at the Brandywine River Museum which says: "In addition to his roles as founder and board chairman of the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art, a philanthropist, and a land and cultural conservationist, George A. "Frolic" Weymouth (1936-2016) was a highly talented artist." Also see press release and 1/25/18 article in The Hunt Magazine. Accessed 2/18

th(ink)ing - The Experimental Printmaking Institute at Lafayette College is a 2014 exhibit at Lehigh University Art Galleries by co-curator, Susan Ellis Accessed 2/19

Western Pennsylvania Folk Art is featured in the Antiques and the Arts Weekly 7/2/07 article "Made In the Pennsylvania A Folk Art Tradition" and a 12/1/02 article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Accessed 3/18

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See our Museums Explained to learn about the "inner workings" of art museums and the functions of staff members. In the exhibitions section find out how to get the most out of a museum visit. See definitions for a glossary of museum-related words used in articles.

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