The exhibit “Art of Our Time:Selections from the UlrichMuseum of Art” juxtaposes

works of art that are rarely seentogether. This exhibition of highlightsfrom Wichita State University’scampus museum, on view at theMitchell Gallery from August 26 toOctober 14, presents examples of keyartistic styles and movements—realism, cubism, surrealism, abstractexpressionism, pop, minimalism, andpostmodernism. One can study theseartworks chronologically as a telling ofthe canonical story of Western arthistory since the late 19th century, oras surprising groups of artworks—stylistically dissimilar and historicallydistant—that inspire engaging conver-sations on specific themes within thatlarger narrative.

Unexpected yet meaningfulconnections abound; for instanceconsider Robert Henri’s Gregoritawith the Santa Clara Bowl (1917),Diane Arbus’s Lady Bartender atHome with a Souvenir Dog, NewOrleans (1964), and Dana Schutz’sMissing Link Finds Superman (2006).Observing them in conversation withone another reveals a range of distinct,yet overlapping, perspectives on howthese artists engage with theirsubjects—whether real or imagined—when those subjects are other people.

The modernist portrait painter RobertHenri consciously sought to capturehis personal interactions with hissitters. In a letter to his students atNew York’s Art Students League, headmonished: “Realize that your sitter

has a state of being, that this state ofbeing manifests itself to you throughform, color and gesture . . . that yourwork will be the statement of whathave been your emotions.”

A B O U T T H EG A L L E R Y

The Mitchell Gallery in Mellon Hall, on thecampus of St. John’s College in Annapolis,Maryland, was established as a center oflearning for all who wish to deepen their understanding of the visual arts. TheMitchell Gallery serves the greaterAnnapolis area with the only fullysecured, climate-controlled fine arts facility in Anne Arundel County.

H o u r sDuring scheduled exhibitions, the gallery is open Tuesday-Sunday, 12-5 p.m. and Friday, 7-8 p.m. There is no admission charge.

Docent-led tours are offered onThursdays from 12-3 p.m. Group toursare available. For information call 410-626-2556.

S t a f fDirector: Hydee Schaller

Executive Editor: Kathy Dulisse

Editor: Patricia Dempsey

Chairman, Faculty Advisory Committee:Thomas May

Chairman, Mitchell Gallery Board of Advisors: Dennis Younger

Art Educator: Lucinda Dukes Edinberg

Exhibit Preparator: Sigrid Trumpy

Graphic Designer: Jennifer Behrens

website: www.stjohnscollege.edu

Funding and support for Mitchell Gallery exhibitions

are provided in part by Anne Arundel County, the

Arts Council of Anne Arundel County, the City of

Annapolis, The Helena Foundation, the Maryland State

Arts Council, the Estate of Elizabeth Myers Mitchell,

Mitchell Gallery Board of Advisors, Members of the

Mitchell Gallery, the Mitchell Gallery Endowment,

Mitchell Gallery Next Generation Committee,

the National Endowment for the Arts, the Lillian

Vanous Nutt Mitchell Gallery Endowment, and the

Clare Eddy and Eugene V. Thaw Fine Arts Fund.

E X H I B I T S

ART OF OUR TIME:

SELECTIONS FROM

THE ULRICH MUSEUM OF ART

August 26-October 14

KNIGHTS, CROOKS AND HEROES:

THE ART OF AMERICAN

ILLUSTRATION

October 27-December 15

N E W S F R O M T H E M I T C H E L L

G A L L E R Y A T S T . J O H N ’ S

C O L L E G E

Continued on page 2

ARTLINEVol. 21, No. 1 Fall 2011

Knights, CrooKs and heroes: THE ARTOF AMERICAN ILLUSTRATIONOctober 27-December 15

During the Golden Age ofIllustration (1890-1935),books and periodicals were

the major source of publicentertainment. Writers andillustrators had prominent,celebrated roles in this era.

“Knights, Crooks and Heroes: TheArt of American Illustration,” a newexhibit at the Mitchell Gallery,presents 45 paintings and drawings,culled from two private collections,the Kelly Collection of AmericanIllustration and the Robert Horvath

Collection andtwo additionalcollectionsthrough thegenerosity of JohnSchoonover,president ofSchoonoverStudios, Ltd.Although manyof the artistswere known for

By Lucinda Edinberg

FEATURED EXHIBITIONSEmil Carlsen, Barnacled Rocks, ca. 1900–30. Oil on canvas. Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State University, Wichita. Gift of Charles H. Drummond.

ART OF OUR TIME: SELECTIONS FROM THE ULRICH MUSEUM OF ARTAugust 26-October 14

By Emily Stamey

Continued onpage 3

Saul Tepper, The Courtroom, 1927. Oil on board. Used with permission of the Kelly Collection of American

Illustration.

ART OF OUR TIME: SELECTIONS FROM THE ULRICH MUSEUM OF ARTAugust 26-October 24

EXHIB ITHenri frequently painted bust-lengthportraits dominated by a single sitter.Using dense strokes of paint, heeschewed fine details and focused onthe subject’s facial expression. InGregorita with the Santa Clara Bowlhe carefully pieces together fourdistinct areas of color: the ochre wall,white drape, black bowl, and bluedress. These areas of minimal detaildraw attention to Gregorita’s seriouscountenance—lips gently pursed andeyes unflinchingly looking out at theviewer.

As an early modernist, Henri soughtout new subjects. Street urchins werehis models in New York City in thefirst years of the new century. Later,he broadened his scope and depictedrepresentatives of different ethnicgroups, such as Japanese Americans,Mexican Americans, and AmericanIndians. The white painter insistedthat he did not “sentimentalize overthem … I am looking at eachindividual with the eager hope offinding there something of the dignityof life.” His genuine respect andempathy, however, were not withoutromanticism. In his images of Indianchildren such as Gregorita, Henrifrequently depicted them with anobject—such as a blanket or shawlaround their shoulders—that both

identified themwith theirparticular tribeand created asense of theirvulnerability.Gregorita holdstight to a largebowl that sitsbetween herand the viewer,acting as a sortof protectivebarrier.Although shemeets theviewer’s gaze,she appears notentirelyconfident.

Like Henri,1960s photog-rapher DianeArbus waskeenly self-conscious of herrelationship to the people in herpictures. Likewise, she took aninterest in people from backgroundsdifferent than her own—transvestites,midgets, nudists, the mentallyretarded, and others frequentlyshunned as outcasts. Of herencounters, she noted:

“If I were just curious, it would bevery hard to say to someone, ‘I want tocome to your house and have you talkto me.’ . . . But the camera is a kind oflicense. A lot of people, they want tobe paid that much attention and that’sa reasonable kind of attention to bepaid.”

In contrast to Henri’s minimalbackgrounds and carefully selectedprops, Arbus allowed her subjects tocompose themselves within their ownenvironments and frequentlycaptured them in full-length shots. “Iwork from awkwardness. By that Imean I don’t like to arrange things. IfI stand in front of something, insteadof arranging it, I arrange myself.” ForLady Bartender at Home with aSouvenir Dog, New Orleans, Arbusarranged herself such that her lenscaptured the uncanny resemblancebetween the woman’s piled-high,bleached-blond hair and the roundcellophane toy poodle on her shelf.Decidedly free of the sentimentalovertones in Henri’s painting, theimage reveals the stark, unabashedscrutiny that was Arbus’s hallmark.

Unlike Henri and Arbus, contem-porary painter Dana Schutz rendersher figures not from life, but from herimagination. Nonetheless, shedescribes a meaningful relationshipwith them: “I feel that my subjects areaware that they are in the picture.They are not completelydisinterested. I think of them associal, like real people.” Shutz firstmade a name for herself in the artworld with a series of paintings,Frank from Observation, premised onthe idea that she and Frank were theonly two people remaining on earth—she the last painter and he the lasthuman subject. Missing Link FindsSuperman recalls the subtle pathosand isolation that were part of thatearlier project. A man, his head toolarge for his slight body and dressedawkwardly in a Superman costume,stands in what looks like anapocalyptic wasteland.

This figure holds a pair of leggings,the bottom half of his heroic costume.Has he just taken them off, or is heabout to put them on? Is hetransforming from or into heroic

form? Schutz underscores this idea ofambiguous transformation in thepainting’s title with “missing link,” aphrase used to describe a transitional,evolutionary form. Unlike Henri andArbus’s images, where key objects—the Santa Clara bowl or the souvenirdog—suggested something about thefigure’s personality, Schutz worksmetaphorically. In this trio ofartworks, hers rings with thedecidedly contemporary notion that—despite the ages-old and continuingquest to know one another—ouridentities remain elusive.

Gregorita, the lady bartender, andMissing Link make an unusual trio.How Henri or Arbus might respond toSchutz’s work can never be known.Schutz’s contemplation of thisspecific pair of images by herpredecessors is unlikely. Theunexpected opportunity to considerthese three artworks together is oneof the treats of an exhibition such as“Art of Our Time.” By bringingtogether the recognized gems of acollection, this exhibition allows oneto discover and reflect on previouslyunnoticed relationships among theartworks. �

Emily Stamey, the Ulrich Museumcurator of modern and contemporaryart, received her MA and PhD in arthistory from The University of Kansasand her BA in art history fromGrinnell College.

Stamey will give a lecture entitled “GoFigure” in the gallery on September 21at 7:30 p.m.

a man, his head too large for his

slight body and dressed awkwardly in

a superman costume, stands in what

looks like an apocalyptic wasteland.

A fully referenced version ofthis article can be found atwww.stjohnscollege.edu/eventsand click on “Art of Our Time.”

Diane Arbus, Lady Bartender at Home with a Souvenir Dog, New Orleans, 1964. Gelatin silver print on paper.

Collection of the Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State University, Wichita, Museum Purchase.

Dana Schutz, Missing Link Finds Superman, 2006. Oil on canvas. Collection of the Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State University, Wichita,

Museum Purchase.

Continued from front page

their magazine covers and ads, theirworks chosen for this exhibition arefrom books and stories that wereoften serialized. Illustrations forclassic novels, such as LesMisérables, The Count of MonteCristo, An Old Fashioned Girl, andThe Scottish Chiefs, are representedby artists Dean Cornwall, HarveyDunn, J.C. Leyendecker, HowardPyle, Mead Schaeffer, FrankSchoonover, Jessie Willcox Smith,N.C. Wyeth, and others.

These illustrators experiencedalmost limitless opportunity whenassociated with the fine writers ofthe day. In many ways, theseillustrators represented Americanideals. “In their work they offeredwhat was wanted by the publishers,and displayed the diversity and rangeof the industry they served: thepublic wanted to be entertained byromantic tale of adventure, chivalry,

and valor that demanded theservices of narrative, historicalillustrators…” notes Susan Meyer in,“America’s Great Illustrations(1978).

The artists used a range oftechniques, but the color processesallowed painters, such as Wyeth,Pyle, Schoonover, Schaeffer, Smithand others, to show the breadth oftheir artistry. In addition,advancements in technology lent

themselves to improved pictorialreproductions of the artists’ workswhich in the 1880s had been limitedto wood engravings. With theintroduction of the rotary press andhalf-tone photo engraving processes,publishing companies enjoyed anunprecedented success. Americanpublishers, such as CharlesScribner’s Sons and Houghton,Mifflin and Co., and magazinesincluding Collier’s Weekly, McCall’s,McClure’s, and Saturday Evening

Post, competed for the limitednumber of illustrators available.

While all of these artists were proudof their American roots, there wasdisagreement among them about thevalue of illustration. Illustrator Pylefelt that the best in illustrationwould certainly qualify as fine art,while Wyeth was plagued by self-doubt and remorse about his career.Many of the artists in this exhibitionreceived academy training and

struggled with the label ofillustrator, as opposed to that of afine artist. This rift between fine artand illustration has widened in thedecades since.

This golden age of artistry andproduction ended with the GreatDepression and the fascination andlove for these works almostdisappeared. In the last few decadeshowever, interest in these artists hasrevived. Private collectors, such asRichard Kelly, Robert Horvath, andJohn Schoonover demonstrate thepassion and keen appreciation thatthis era of American illustrationdeserves. �

Knights, CrooKs and heroes: THE ART OF AMERICAN ILLUSTRATIONOctober 27-December 15

Continued from front page

NOTES

Two noted collectors, RichardKelly, of the Kelly Collection ofAmerican Illustration, and RobertHorvath, of the Robert HorvathCollection, will share insights ontheir personal journeys ascollectors. They will speak at theMitchell Gallery on November 1 at7:30 p.m. Many of the works theyhave collected will be on view in the“Knights, Crooks and Heroes”exhibition.

Richard Kelly is a private investorwho received his master’s inmuseum studies from GeorgeWashington University. In the late1980’s, Kelly founded the KellyCollection of American Illustration.His collection garnered him

mention in Art and Antiquesmagazine as one of America’s top100 collectors in 1995 and 1996.Kelly has mounted numerousmuseum exhibitions (including twoat Asheville School), and lentnumerous works to institutionsacross the country. “Stories to Tell:Masterworks from the KellyCollection of Illustration” was wellreceived by critics and the publicwhen it appeared at the DaheshMuseum in New York City in 2006.

Kelly catalogued more than 3,000drawings from the Joseph PennellCollection while working as avolunteer at the Library ofCongress. Kelly continues hisphilanthropic work by serving on

the boards of a number of non-profit organizations. He is currentlychairman of the Fine Arts AdvisoryPanel of the Federal Reserve andsecretary of the Museum TrusteeAssociation. He also serves on theboard of the Rockwell Museum, theSchoonover Fund, The MuseumTrustee Association, and otherorganizations. He and his wife,Mary, live in Great Falls, Virginia.

Robert Horvath has a master’sdegree in fine art as well as libraryscience; he became director of theTalbot County Library System in1998. In 2007, he was appointed tothe National Council of the NormanRockwell Museum in Stockbridge,Massachusetts. He now serves onthe board of the Norman Rockwell

Museum. Horvath has a long-timeassociation with AmericanIllustrative Art, and has contributedto several books on the subject.

In addition to being an avidcollector, Horvath is an artist with aspecial interest in painting historiccityscapes and rural landscapes. In2001, he completed a mural of anEastern Shore waterfront scene forthe Talbot County Free Library inEaston, Maryland. Recently,Horvath completed a mural for thenew library in St. Michaels. He hasalso created a series of limitededition prints depicting scenes inthe mountains of WesternPennsylvania. He and his wife,Lynne, live on Maryland’s EasternShore. �

NOTED COllECTORS TO SPEAK AT GAllERy

N.C. Wyeth, Bruce on the Beach, 1921. Oil on canvas. Courtesy of the Kelly Collection of American Illustration.

“although i’ve always been an innate

collector, i didn’t have any original art

until the early 1970s, when i bought a

doonesbury comic strip from the Jane

haslem gallery in Washington, d.C.

shortly thereafter, Bob Lewis, a friend

from my apartment building,

introduced me to science fiction and

fantasy art, as well as a wider range of

cartoon and underground comic

illustrations”... “We decided to collect

only works by american illustrators

whose careers had peaked between

1890 and 1935, excluding those who

had later become better known as

fine artists (e.g., glackens, sloan, or

shinn). We made a conscious decision,

for aesthetic reasons, not to collect

any pinup or pulp art, even if it was in

our period.”

— Richard Kelly

i purchased my first schoonover, and

my first illustration, for $125 in 1968.

i was all of 26 years old and had no

idea where this purchase would lead

me!... illustration is a vocation, an

avocation, a passion and in my case a

love affair that began as a small child

having the story of King arthur read

to me and looking at n. C. Wyeth’s

painting of the Lady of the Lake. it

has never diminished and glows each

day as i look at these wonderful

pieces of art that are a very

important part of my life.”

— Robert Horvath

gaLLery MeMBerstraVeL to thedordogneLast spring, 20 participants in the firstMitchell Gallery travel programsojourned to France’s Dordogne RiverValley, a world of rich culture andhistory, lush landscapes and goldenstone villages. Among many highlightsthey visited the spectacular cave art ofRouffignac, Lascaux, and Cap Blanc—all three UNESCO World Heritagesites. To learn more about the the trip,visit www.stjohnscollege.edu, click onEvents, then Mitchell Gallery andTravel Programs. For moreinformation on the next gallery traveltrip, contact Pamela McKee at 410-263-2610 or pmckee7@verizon.net.

The Mitchell GallerySt. John’s CollegeP.O. Box 2800Annapolis, MD 21404-2800

Non-profit org.U.S. Postage

PAIDAnnapolis, MDPermit No. 120

How

ard P

yle, W

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art oF our tiMe: seLeCtions

FroM the uLriCh MuseuM oF art

august 26-oCtoBer 14

september 18 Sunday Afternoon Tour. Art

Educator lucinda Edinberg will lead a tour of the

“Art of Our Time” exhibition, at 3 p.m.

opening reception

september 18 Opening Reception & family

Program. Art Educator lucinda Edinberg will

lead a tour of the “Art of Our Time” exhibit

followed by a hands-on workshop from 4 to 5:30

p.m.

september 21 lecture. “Art of Our Time”

curator, Emily Stamey, will give a lecture entitled

“Go figure” at 7:30 p.m.

october 5 Seminar. Artist Ebby Malmgren and

St. John’s tutor David Townsend will lead an

exhibit-related seminar, “To look, To See” at

7 p.m. Space is limited. Registration is required.

Call 410-626-2556 to register.

october 6 Book Club. Join members of the

Mitchell Gallery Book Club for a tour of “Art of

Our Time,” followed by a discussion led by Justin

Horm and tutor David Townsend, from 2:30 to

4:30 p.m. The readings are: “Renascence” and

“The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver” by Edna St.

Vincent Millay; “Red Wheelbarrow” by William

Carlos Williams; “Howl” (Part 1) by Allen

Ginsberg; “Superman” (lyrics) by the musical

group, five for fighting. These poems and lyrics

may be found on the Internet. Registration is

required. Contact Kathy Dulisse at 410-626-2530

or kathy.dulisse@sjca.edu.

october 12 Art Express. Art Educator lucinda

Edinberg will give a lunchtime gallery talk on the

“Art of Our Time” exhibit from 12:15 to

12:45 p.m. Juice and sodas will be provided.

Knights, CrooKs and heroes:

the art oF aMeriCan

iLLustration

oCtoBer 27-deCeMBer 15

october 30 Opening Reception & family

Program. Art Educator lucinda Edinberg will

lead a tour of the “Knights, Crooks and Heroes”

exhibit followed by a hands-on workshop from

3:30 to 5 p.m.

november 1 Collectors Program Discussion.

Collectors Richard Kelly and Robert Horvath

will discuss their respective collections at

7:30 p.m.

november 13 Sunday afternoon tour. Art

Educator lucinda Edinberg will lead a tour of

the “Knights, Crooks and Heroes” exhibition,

at 3 p.m.

november 17 Book Club. Join members of the

Mitchell Gallery Book Club for a tour of

“Knights, Crooks and Heroes,” followed by a

discussion of N. C. Wyeth: A Biography by David

Michaelis, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. The discussion

will be led by lucinda Edinberg. Registration is

required. Contact Kathy Dulisse at 410-626-2530

or kathy.dulisse@sjca.edu

december 7 Art Express. Art Educator

lucinda Edinberg will give a lunchtime gallery talk

on the “Knights, Crooks and Heroes” exhibit

from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. Juice and sodas will be

provided.

“ART Of THE BOOK”THANK yOU!St. John’s College is pleasedto acknowledge thefollowing people and organizations thatcontributed so generouslyto the Mitchell Gallery’srecent fundraiser “The Artof the Book.” Proceedsfrom “The Art of the Book”will help support thegallery’s educationprograms.

artistsWard Anderson

Mary J. Arthur

D.H. Banker

Rachel M. Bartgis

Martin Beadle

carol a. beane

Charlotte Berry

c l bigelow

John Bildahl

A. Aubrey Bodine

Pat Clubine

Victoria Coale

Mark Cooley

Don Dement

Oletha DeVane

Sylvia Earl

Demetrios N. fotos

Kristín Guðbrandsdóttir

Catherine Haigney

Greg Harlin

Neil Harpe

Gail Higginbotham

lisa Hill

Jean Brinton Jaecks

H. l. Jaecks

Warren Kahle

Kay Kandra

Jeanne Gentry Keck

Dan Kuhne

Joan B. Machinchick

Ebby Malmgren

Kerry McAleer-Keeler

Richard Montgomery

Stephanie Nadolski

laurie Nolan

michael b. platt

Donna f. Rhody

Camden M. Richards

Janet fry Rogers

Phyllis Saroff

Thackray Seznec

George C. Shenk, Jr.

Sigrid Trumpy

Erika H. Walsh

Gail Hillow Watkins

Scott Whitely

John P. Wise

Rob Wood

authorsTemple Cone

Barbara Klein Moss

laura Oliver

Hank Pugh

sponsorsWhat’s Up? Annapolis

Orbis Technologies

Herrmann Advertising

Whitmore Group

Corcoran College of Art +Design

CoMMittee and

VoLunteerslynn Schwartz, chairman

Mary lou Baker

Melvin Bender

Tara Clifford

Kimbra Cutlip

Kathryn Dahl

Keren Davison Dement

Kathy Dulisse

Janet Gellici

Judi Herrmann

Karen Ippolito

Carolyn Kammeier

Joan B. Machinchick

Ebby Malmgren

Nadja Maril

Cheryl Miller

Emmy Nicklin

Katharine C. Pingle

Hydee Schaller

lily Schneider

Katy Scruggs

Ibbi Schwartz

Emma Shenk

Maryanne Spencer

MusiCiansViki Garte

Andy Garte

Daniel Puckett Quartet

ContriButorsThe Annapolis CollectionGallery

Arnold farms

Art Things, Inc.

b.b. Bistro

Back Creek Books

Bay Ridge Rita’s

Bon Appétit

Caroline’s Cakes

The Chop House

Crush Winehouse

Harry Browne’s

Historic Inns of Annapolis

Hoffman CustomEmbroidery

Jalapeños

Ken’s Creative Kitchen

Kilby Cream

lemongrass

Maryland Center for theBook, a program of theMaryland HumanitiesCouncil

Paladar

Pewter Chalice

Pirate’s Cove Restaurant

Poets and Writers Magazine

Pris’ Paper

Reading Group Choices

Signcraft

Tito’s Handmade Vodka

Tsunami

Wine Cellars of Annapolis

Lynn Schwartz, event chairman, with daughter Ibbi at “The Art of the Book” reception.

Join in the Fun! support the arts! Become a member of the Mitchell gallery.

For more information call 410-295-5551

or go to www.stjohnscollege.edu/events

and click on Mitchell Gallery.