Residents at Wesley Enhanced Living Doylestown enjoyed a segment of our Art Talks series with Michener Art Museum docent Dale Scafuro. The goal of the Art Talks series is to engage our residents with art and history through fun interactive community events. The Michener Art Museum is a familiar local museum in Doylestown dedicated to preserving the artistic heritage of Bucks County. Many of our residents who attended this event have visited the museum over the years.
During this presentation, Dale shared the story of the New Hope Art Colony and the Pennsylvania Impressionist movement, highlighting artists like William Lathrop, Edward Redfield, Daniel Garber, Fern Coppedge, and Robert Spencer. These artists were a huge influence in the PA Impressionism movement and the New Hope Art Colony. They made Bucks County their home and inspired generations of artists with their vibrant works.
Dating back to over a century ago, artists were drawn to work in Bucks County, specifically New Hope, due to its picturesque landscapes that inspired creativity and ideas for them to paint and use as live references. The beautiful scenery, including rivers, fields, bridges, and farmhouses, was a big appeal to artists and art teachers. The quietness and peace of the rural suburbs was also an enticing factor, and due to its proximity to both New York and Philadelphia, it became a central hub for those dreaming of pursuing careers in landscape painting.
Pennsylvania Impressionism was originally inspired by French Impressionism, but was adapted to American sceneries and landscapes, capturing the essence of life in PA. It is characterized by evident brush strokes, vivid colors, and an emphasis on natural lighting. Most impressionists painted outdoors (en plain air), which played a major part in why Bucks County was so appealing to these artists.
William L. Lathrop (1859 – 1938) was one of the earlier impressionist painters to settle in New Hope, and became influential to many other notable artists, including some of his students, who followed in his steps to Bucks County. He was most known for founding the New Hope Art Colony and for transitioning from a moody, tonal painter to a bright and colorful impressionist painter. One of the most prominent artists to join him in the New Hope Art Colony was Edward Redfield (1869 – 1965), also an American Impressionist landscape painter.
Dale stated that Edward Redfield was greatly remembered for his dedication to painting in nature, often tying his canvases to trees and working through brutal weather. Because of the ever-changing weather in PA, he painted rapidly and typically finished each painting in one sitting! Some of his best work featured snowy winter scenes. The presentation included this memorable quote from Redfield: “Bucks County was a place where an independent, self-sufficient man could make a living from the land, bring up a family and still have the freedom to paint as he saw fit.”
Another noteworthy impressionist covered in Dale’s presentation was Daniel Garber (1880 – 1958), also a member of the New Hope Art Colony. After studying as a student of PAFA (Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts), he ultimately became a teacher himself and focused his work on the Delaware River scenes, painting in bright and bold hues. Soon after Garber came Fern Coppedge (1883 – 1951), often referred to as the “female Daniel Garber” due to their similarities in painting styles. However, Dale likes to think of it as the other way around, calling Daniel Garber the “male Fern Coppedge.”
Fern Coppedge was the only female associated with the New Hope group. Both Garber and Coppedge had paintings depicting the Lambertville Church from the viewpoint of the New Hope side of the Delaware River. A third painter in this New Hope group, Robert Spencer (1879 – 1931), also had featured this church’s steeple in his work. Dale presented each of these paintings and compared it to real footage of this scene.
One of Garber’s masterpieces, “Tanis” (a painting of his daughter), was gifted to the Philadelphia Museum of Art under the condition that the painting will be loaned to the Michener Art Museum every three years. Coincidentally, this painting happens to be returning to the Michener Museum next weekend, inspiring some of the residents to pay a visit and also see some of the other works they learned about! Teaching the long history of Bucks County art through storytelling was an engaging and exciting way for our residents to learn more about their local culture.
At the end of the presentation, Dale hosted a Q&A session for the residents to ask about and discuss topics they were curious about. Some residents expressed interest in going to visit the museum together as a community. This is one of the many outings we like to put together for our residents. Whether it is taking a trip to a museum, attending a show at a theater, or learning a new recipe in a cooking class, we are always finding ways to encourage our residents to pursue their passions!
To learn more about activities and programs we hold for our residents, schedule or a tour or contact us today! We’d love for you to experience life at a Wesley Enhanced Living community!