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-Howard
Pyle
On March
5, 1853, in Greenville, Delaware, on of the most famous and respected
artists of the nineteenth century was born. Howard Pyle was his name
and no one knew that as he grew up, art would be his passion and his
life.
When Howard was a boy he knew he wanted to be an artist. His father
strongly disliked the idea of his son, of all people, wanting to draw
and paint. He wanted his son to become successful in life, and in
his mind, an artist would become anything but that. His mother on
the other hand, loved the idea. Howard was encouraged by his mother
to paint and become the best artist he could possibly be. His mother
inspired him in great ways. Mrs. Pyle read many books and was intelligent
and a strong influence on her aspiring son.
As Howard grew, his fame and passion for art did the same. When he
finally got out of school, he decided to go into the education field
and teach his great skills to other wanting to become an artist. He
taught at Drexel Institute of Philadelphia and gave speeches and lectures
at the Art Student League in New York City, he conducted classes for
his gifted students at his studios in Wilmington, Delaware and Chadds
Ford, Pennsylvania. Pyle's Chadds Ford studio was on the historic
battleground of the Brandywine Battlefield. The school was a group
of young illustrators, both male and female, who took their mentors
criticism to heart and would later become nationally known illustrators.
Howard Pyle also illustrated many books such as Men of Honor,
The Story of King Arthur and his Knights, and The Merry
Adventures of Robin Hood. Along with illustrating, Howard wrote
books such as The Wonder Clock and Pepper and Salt.
Pyle included many themes into his paintings and art works. History
and fairytales and fantasy, were common themes Howard used. He enjoyed
including religious symbols such as angels into his art. The angels
he used would have many moods. They would sometimes be terrifying
and sometimes be quite pleasant and beautiful.
He set high standard for his students and often pushed them to the
limits, wanting them to become more and wanting their love for art
to grow. Pyle wanted his students to be individuals. He wanted them
to create their own art; he wanted them to put their all into each
piece of art they created. He never wanted them to be like him. The
press and others criticized him, saying he was trying to make his
pupils, who consisted of, N.C. Wyeth, Harvey Dun, Stanley Aurthers
and Frank Hoover, to name a few, just like him. His students at one
point all became famous artists and illustrators. Perhaps one of his
more known students was N.C. Wyeth.
Howard Pyle died in 1911, but his artwork is still with us. After
Pyle's death, his students collected many of his original paintings.
They can be found in the fascinating exhibits of the Delaware Art
Museum and the Brandywine River Museum. Howard Pyle was, and still
is, known as one of the greatest artists of the nineteenth century
and he is to this day greatly missed by all around the world.
Jeremiah
Bailey| Richard Banard | Bayard
Taylor | George Fox | Howard
Pyle
Martha
Brown |Pierre
Samuel Dupont | Wyeth Family
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