t ar matters
April 25/27, 2014
www.tickettoentertainment.com
PAGE 19
■ May 2014
■ Covering the Arts throughout the Philadelphia Region
ExhibitionsInSight
Exploring the newly-reopened Gallery 17 at Delaware Art Museum By BURT WASSERMAN Art Columnist
he Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington has artworks you can see nowhere else. At its core, there is the collection of pictures by the town’s native son, Howard Pyle. Among his masterworks, there is an incredibly moving scene of a sailor, marooned on a tiny island where he has been left to his fate: to die by drowning as a result of the rising tide caused by the surrounding waves. Because it touches your nerve endings as deeply as it does, once you see the original painting, you are bound to never forget it. In tribute to Pyle’s career as a renowned educator of successful commercial illustrators, the museum also has many holdings in the area of early 20th century art for commerce and industry. In addition, there is a rewarding group of 19th century American paintings and a distinguished group of PreRaphaelite style canvases from Great Britain as well as 20th century urban vistas by John Sloan and the group that comprised the Ash Can School of American Realism. Finally, there is the recently reopened Gallery 17, focusing on examples of contemporary art from the period following the end of World War II. These examples are arranged chronoPlease see EXPLORE on 20
A view of Gallery 17. Photo courtesy of the Delaware Art Museum