ABOUT THE EVENT
Phoenixville Public Library will host a free program, “Rockwell and Wyeth: The Great American Storytellers”, on Thursday, September 20 at 7:00 PM. Fred Dixon will be the speaker. There is a saying, “Art speaks for itself.” But the art of Rockwell and Wyeth spoke to the public and critics in entirely different ways. Their works have always been beloved by the public but were often attacked by critics. Their styles and subject matter were not even close to what was considered avant-garde art. But they tapped into middle class values and ideals, which added to their popularity. Learn how Rockwell painted the qualities one would like to see society return to and how he did it with a sense of whimsy. Wyeth was accused of being a hopelessly sentimental painter of rural scenes. Fred Dixon will argue that critics never completely understood his work. Wyeth often takes us beneath the surface of Realism and doesn’t spell it out for us. The lecture will conclude with an examination of the firestorm over Wyeth’s Helga paintings and a look at “Christina’s World.”
Fred Dixon and his wife Martha collected art for 35 years and have traveled to many of the most important museums in the U.S. and Europe and cathedrals in Italy to view Renaissance and Baroque art. They were docents for ten years at the Barnes Foundation, which has the largest collection of Impressionistic and Post-Impressionistic art in the U.S., including 181 Renoirs. Fred’s book, 700 Years Of Art History: Pre-Renaissance To Modernism, from which parts of this lecture are taken, will be available at this event for the discounted price of $35.00.
This event is free and open to the public. Reservations are required on the Adult Events Calendar at www.phoenixvillelibrary.org or by calling 610-933-3013 x132. Phoenixville Public Library is located at 183 Second Avenue, Phoenixville, PA.
610-933-3013 x132
