PHILADELPHIA — Woodmere Art Museum’s Schofield: International Impressionist is the most ambitious exhibition mounted to date of the work of renowned landscape painter Walter Elmer Schofield (1866-1944). More than 60 paintings by Schofield are brought together for the first time, lent from notable private and public collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Philadelphia School District, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, among many others, for a major critical re-evaluation of the Philadelphia-born Impressionist artist in the broader context of European and American art. The exhibition is on view September 18, 2014 – January 25, 2015 (open house reception Saturday, Sept. 27, 1-4 p.m., Woodmere Art Museum, 9201 Germantown Ave.).

Schofield: International Impressionist showcases the range of Schofield’s work, from his earliest known paintings of European harbor towns, to his celebrated Pennsylvania landscapes, to the more freely composed images of Arizona and California of the 1930s. His works were among the great prize-winning paintings of their time, sought after by world-class museums and private collectors. The exhibition establishes the chronological trajectory of his career and offers a view of his achievements in the context of his participation in American Impressionism and twentieth-century realism.

“This retrospective offers a timely evaluation of one of the most significant figures in American art,” says William R. Valerio, the Patricia Van Burgh Allison Director and CEO of Woodmere. ”Although perhaps best known as a Pennsylvania Impressionist, his work defies regional categorization, as Schofield worked as much in Europe as America. The title ‘Schofield: International Impressionist’ draws attention to the broad range of the artist’s interests and his commitment to conveying a distinct sense of place, whether depicting the changing Philadelphia landscape of his time, a French village, or an ancient Cornish harbor.”

Schofield was known as an enthusiastic outdoorsman who painted in nature, even in the bitter winter weather, to produce his famous “snowscapes.” Many early paintings depict the changing contemporary riverfront, especially the Schuylkill River, at the dawn of the Industrial Age. Schofield served in the British army in World War I, participating in the Battle of the Somme and other significant battles. The experience of the war changed his outlook on life and art; thereafter he focused on “eternal” subjects such as the dramatic cliffs of Cornwall, unpeopled landscapes, and natural places untouched by modernity and industrialization. Throughout his career, he employed a bold technique and a vibrant color palette.

Born in Philadelphia, Schofield attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and built lasting friendships and professional relationships with Ashcan School painters Robert Henri, William Glackens and John Sloan. In 1899 he moved to England with his young family, spending summers with them in Cornwall and living in the United States from fall through spring. Beginning in the 1920s, he resided with his brother, businessman Albert Schofield, on West Moreland Avenue in Chestnut Hill and painted many of his most famous winter landscapes on the nearby Wissahickon Creek.

His ties to Woodmere Art Museum carried through to his death in 1944, when the museum’s first executive director, his friend the artist Edith Emerson, mounted a memorial exhibition of Schofield’s work the following year. Five important works by Schofield — March Snow (1906), Hill Country (c. 1913), Morning Tide–Coast of Cornwall (c. 1920), Trenwith–Cornish Farm (by 1932), and Morning Light, Tujunga (1934)  — are part of Woodmere’s permanent collection.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalogue featuring a critical discussion of the artist’s work and career by James D. W. Church, great-grandson of Schofield; Therese Dolan, professor of art history at Tyler School of Art, Temple University; Thomas Folk, faculty at New York School of Interior Design and the Appraisal Studies Program, New York University, and author of Walter Elmer Schofield: Bold Impressionist (Brandywine River Museum, 1983); Kathleen A. Foster, The Robert L. McNeil, Jr., Senior Curator of American Art and Director of the Center for American Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art; Valerie Livingston, professor emerita at Susquehanna University, historian of American art and architecture, founding director of the Lore Degenstein Gallery at Susquehanna University, and author of W. Elmer Schofield: Proud Painter of Modest Lands (Moravian College, 1988); Rachel McCay, Assistant Curator at Woodmere Art Museum; Brian Peterson, Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest Chief Curator at the James A. Michener Art Museum (retired); and William Valerio, Woodmere’s Patricia Van Burgh Allison Director and CEO.It also includes an extensive chronology of Schofield’s life and detailed catalogue entries.

The exhibition and its catalogue are generously supported by the William Penn Foundation; Dr. Dorothy J. del Bueno; Margaret E. Phillips; Jim Alterman; Stratton Management Company; Lucille and Walter Rubin, whose gift is made in memory of Mrs. Enid Schofield; Joyce and Bob Byers; Harriet and Larry Weiss; and Carol and Louis Della Penna.

Woodmere Art Museum is located at 9201 Germantown Avenue. Admission to special exhibitions is $10 for adults, $7 for seniors, and FREE for students, children and Museum members; exhibitions in the Founder’s Gallery and Helen Millard Children’s Gallery are FREE. (Woodmere offers free admission on Sundays, including all special exhibitions.)Museum hours are: Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m.–8:45 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. For more information, visit woodmereartmuseum.orgor call 215-247-0476.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

New exhibitions:

Walter Elmer Schofield: International Impressionist
September 18, 2014 – January 25, 2015
Schnader, Kuch and del Bueno Galleries
OPEN HOUSE: Saturday, September 27, 1- 4 p.m.

Special Events:

Hiking Trails in the Wissahickon with the Friends of the Wissahickon
Experience the beautiful Wissahickon landscapes that inspired Walter Elmer Schofield with the Friends of the Wissahickon, a 90-year-old nonprofit membership organization that protects and enhances Philadelphia’s Wissahickon Valley Park.

Contact Sarah Marley at marley [at] fow [dot] org for more information. To register, visit www.fow.org/calendar. Registration is recommended in case of inclement weather or other emergency cancellation.  All events are FREE.

Orange Trail Hike: Hidden Treasures
Saturday, September 27, 10 a.m.
Meet at Northwestern Ave. and Forbidden Dr.
Hike to the statue of Teedyuscung, known as the King of the Delawares. Continue to the Red Covered Bridge, climbing along a series of waterfalls and other beautiful sites. Distance three miles, moderate difficulty.

The Art and History of the Wissahickon
Sunday, October 12, 10 a.m.
Meet at Valley Green Inn
Hike along Forbidden Drive and the upper trail system. Share art and poetry inspired b the sites and the history of structures passed along the way.

Discovering the Sites That Inspired the Art of Walter Elmer Schofield
Sunday, October 19, 10 a.m.
Meet at the Cedars House at Northwestern Avenue and Forbidden Drive
Walk and find the sites that inspired many paintings by Walter Elmer Schofield. Walk along the woodsy trails and discovered the beauty of the Wissahickon.

Bales of Cornwall: Annual Straw Maze
opens September 5, 6 p.m.
Play, climb, and explore the 2014 straw maze Bales of Cornwall. This installation sculpture is made from massive straw bales and was designed by architect and designer Peter Brown and Barbara Ann Sprague. It was inspired by the painting Morning Tide – Coast of Cornwall by artist Walter Elmer Schofield.

Lectures

“Human Nature;” A Brief History of Landscape Painting
Saturday, Oct 11, 3 p.m.
Lecturer: Brian Peterson, Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest Chief Curator (retired), James A. Michener Art Museum
$15 ($10 members)
This lecture traces the dramatic evolution in our culture’s attitudes toward nature over the centuries, as demonstrated by some of the major moments in the history of landscape painting.

Is There an “Ism” in Pennsylvania Impressionism?
Wednesday,  October 15, 7 p.m.
Lecturer: Brian Peterson, Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest Chief Curator (retired), James A. Michener Art Museum ($10 members)
Focusing on the best-known Pennsylvania Impressionists, this lecture explores how these artists were influenced by events and movements in the larger art world, and how they transcended those influences and created something new.

Capturing the Wissahickon: Peeling Back the Layers
Wednesday, October 29, 7 p.m.
Lecturer: David Contosta, PhD, Professor of History, Chestnut Hill College
$15 ($10 members)
Generations of painters, photographers, filmmakers, and surveyors have captured the many faces of the Wissahickon Valley—from millers and mystics to hikers, bikers, and nature lovers. Historian David Contosta will peel back familiar and forgotten layers of this iconic landscape, tracing its evolution from its early industrial history to the urban paradise we know today.

Contemporary Approaches to theLandscape: Nature as the Client
Saturday, November 1, 3 p.m.
Lecturer: Stacy Levy, artist
$15 ($10 members)
Stacy Levy creates sculptural installations that explore nature. She will discuss her artwork’s relationship with the urban landscape and her many projects that meld art, engineering, and ecology. Throughout her career, Levy has been making “working” earthworks that address environmental issues such as storm water runoff and pollution.

From the Seine to the Schuylkill:Impressionism and Its Pennsylvania Practitioners
Saturday, November 8, 3 p.m.
Lecturer: Therese Dolan, PhD, Professor of Art History, Temple University’s Tyler School of Art
$15 ($10 members)
Art historian Therese Dolan will explore the term “Pennsylvania Impressionism” and its implications for the group of New Hope painters who have been labeled under this name. She will examine the origin of the term “Impressionism” in France and consider its manifestations and adaptations in the paintings of Walter Elmer Schofield and his New Hope colleagues.

Panel Discussion: Contemporary Approaches to the Landscape
Saturday, January 10, 3 p.m.
Lecturers: Deena Gu, Andrea Packard, Stuart Shils, Ron Tarver
$15 ($10 members)
Contemporary artists Deena Gu, Andrea Packard, Stuart Shils, and Ron Tarver all draw inspiration from the landscape. They will discuss their varied approaches and development, and respond to the work of Walter Elmer Schofield.

On Schofield: Reflections by His Great-Grandson
Saturday, January 24, 3 p.m.
Lecturer: James Church. FREE. 
James Church, great-grandson of Walter Elmer Schofield, will share his personal insights about Schofield’s art and career. Church will focus on key works in the exhibition and reflect on his research from the last eight years. Woodmere greatly appreciates his assistance with this exhibition.

Studio Workshops

Autumn Colors in the Landscape
Saturday, October 18, 10 a.m, Sunday, October 19, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday, October 25 and 26 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Instructor: Paul DuSold
$120 ($90)
A tour of Woodmere’s exhibition Schofield: International Impressionist will inspire all who enjoy painting on location en plein air (in the open air). Paint at the home and farm of famed Pennsylvania Impressionist Daniel Garber in Lumberville, Pennsylvania. Spend the next weekend painting at sites along the Wissahickon Creek at Valley Green. Focus will be on completing a painting in one session, observing light, and arranging composition. Meeting places will be provided upon registration.

Photography Workshop: A Day in the Life of the Wissahickon

Saturday, October 25 and Sunday, November 2
7:00 am – 4:00 pm
Instructor: Ron Tarver
$280 ($250 members)
This two-day workshop offers the unique opportunity to sharpen your photographic skill while capturing the Wissahickon Valley during the fall. Photographers will have their work presented in an exhibition in Woodmere’s galleries and compiled in a book. Critiques will help participants understand the challenges of photographing the Wissahickon landscape. Meeting places and other details will be provided upon registration.

Also on view:

Theresa Bernstein: A Century in Art
Through October 26

Journey in Watercolor: The Art of Deena Gu
November 8, 2014 – February 22, 2015

ABOUT WOODMERE ART MUSEUM

Housed in a 19th-century stone Victorian mansion on six acres in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia, Woodmere first opened its doors to the public in 1940. The building, grounds and the nucleus of the Permanent Collection are the benefactions of Charles Knox Smith (1845 – 1916), who wished “to awaken the spirit of, the appreciation of, and the knowledge of art … in the City of Philadelphia and surrounding territory.” Today, the Permanent Collection consists of more than 3,000 works of art, celebrating the art and artists of Philadelphia.

Woodmere’s core collection includes important paintings by renowned artists such as Edward Redfield, Daniel Garber, Walter E. Schofield, Benjamin West, Frederic Edwin Church, Violet Oakley, Arthur B. Carles and many more. Woodmere’s nine galleries and salons, including a grand rotunda and a uniquely designated Helen Millard Children’s Gallery, provide space for exhibitions and programs that serve the entire family. In the George D. Widener Studio, a converted carriage house, a year-round roster of classes provides outstanding art training to children and adults. General operating support is provided, in part, by the Philadelphia Cultural Fund.