My Trip to the Brandywine River Museum

The reason I went to the Brandywine River Museum was for a school assignment. I've never went to an art museum before, so this was an interesting experience for me. There were tons of drawings and illustrations from several different artists throughout history, and paintings created from different mediums. As I think about it more, a majority of all the artists' artworks were made from oil mediums. 

Museum Questions

1. Who is N.C. Wyeth and why is he important to the world of Illustration? Newell Convers Wyeth (1882-1945) was considered one of the most famous and influential American artists in both illustration and fine art during the Golden Age. Many of his works are influenced by Western culture and adventure books such as Treasure Island, The Last of the Mohicans, and King Arthur. Furthermore, Wyeth also created painted advertisements for companies and illustration covers for magazines. He is important to know because he was a major contributor to visual culture. 

2. Select an illustration from the collection in the Museum that has the most impact on you and tell why? Take a photo of it if you are permitted. Be sure to note the following: 

Artist Name - N. C. Wyeth
Where was the illustration published or created - 
Charles Scribner's Sons, NY
Medium and Size - Oil on canvas, and is 102.1 cm × 76.5 cm
Date it was created - 1918

Wyeth's Captain Nemo illustration is a fictional character based from Jules Verne's books Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island. This stood out to me the most because of the peacock in the background. It appeared elegant, calm, and majestic. Anything with Asian characteristics, objects, or historical backgrounds I tend to take more of an interest in. Furthermore, I've never read Verne's books (listed above) before so I had no idea who Captain Nemo was until I did some research. Turns out Captain Nemo is an Indian prince, and the peacock alludes to his Indian background. 


3. Overall how would you describe the compositions of the piece you selected in question 2? 

• In the background there is a good amount of negative space.
• Captain Nemo's clothes have some value to show there is some kind of light source, and that way his clothes don't look flat. Additionally, Nemo's face also has shading underneath his eyes. 
• Despite the illustration being very simple, it portrays Nemo well because he is an old man - looks calm, wise, and slow-moving. Everything he does or says seems to have importance.   

4. How would you describe the color pallet and tell why it was effective for the piece
you selected in question 2. This illustration seemed to have cool colors being displayed throughout the entire piece, along with some complementary colors (i.e. the red flowers behind the blue peacock). The composition is nice for Captain Nemo right away draws your attention since he is in the center, and then the peacock helps you to continue to view the entire piece. There is a good amount of negative space in the background, but that is probably for the best. If there were too many flowers or other animals in the background, the illustration would feel lost. People who have read Verne's books might not be able to connect the man to Captain Nemo since not much is written or said about him, except the Indian prince part.

6. What have you learned from visiting the museum that pertains to the course? As I walked through the museum the question: what is the difference between fine art and illustration stuck with me. I tried to figure it out, but I needed to do some research. A very simple explanation is that fine art is an idea that's brought to life, while illustration is a representation of an idea. I will definitely go back to the museum for I wasn't able to take a tour of N.C. Wyeth's house.

5. What is the Brandywine School of American Illustration and what illustrators were part of this group? Name the illustrators and the pieces you were able to see in the museum. The Brandywine School of American Illustration was founded by Howard Pyle (1854-1911), a prolific illustrator and the mentor of N.C. Wyeth, in 1894. Today, the school is now Drexel University. Some of Pyle's other students included Clifford Ashley, Anton Otto Fischer, and Violet Oakley.