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'American Art in the Shadow of World War I' on view at Palmer Museum

Lewis Hine, Untitled, "Army Camp", from "Portfolio I", c. 1917, printed 1975, selenium-toned gelatin silver print. Gift of Robert J. Doherty, 76.70.4. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — "American Art in the Shadow of World War I," a new exhibition on view at the Palmer Museum of Art through Aug. 7, presents a diverse array of works from the permanent collection, including patriotic posters; photographs that capture aspects of the conflict; and prints, drawings and watercolors by American artists who served in the military.

When war erupted in Europe in the summer of 1914, few people foresaw the scale and duration of the carnage. But civilization itself soon seemed, for some, on the brink of collapse. Worldwide military and civilian causalities totaled upward of 38 million by the signing of the armistice more than four years later.

The unimaginable horrors deeply affected many artists. "American Art in the Shadow of World War I" surveys the museum’s holdings from the years leading up to, during and immediately following the so-called Great War. Whether part of the debate about U.S. intervention or as combatants themselves, the conflict touched American artists in a variety of ways.

This exhibition examines a diverse group of 18 photographs and works on paper against the backdrop of the war. Photographer Lewis Hine, who was stationed in Paris with the Red Cross in 1918, chronicled relief efforts and army bases. Henry Varnum Poor made drawings and watercolors of the French countryside and of his fellow soldiers. Etchings by servicemen John Taylor Arms, Kerr Eby and J. André Smith are also presented in the exhibition. Artist-illustrators such as James Montgomery Flagg and Joseph Pennell created government-sponsored posters to stir up support and patriotic fervor. Additional works from John Singer Sargent and Morton Livingston Schamberg, among others, open onto concomitant anxieties and societal changes during the era.

Adam Thomas, curator of American art, will lead a Gallery Talk titled "American Art in the Shadow of World War I," at 12:10 p.m. on Friday, July 8, in the exhibition gallery located on the museum’s second floor.

Also on view at the Palmer Museum of Art this summer are "The Prints of Jules Heller," from May 17 through Aug. 14, and "Still Moving: Photographs by Steve McCurry," from June 14 through Sept. 18.The Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State is located on Curtin Road and admission is free. Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. The museum is closed Mondays and some holidays.

The Palmer Museum of Art receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

Last Updated June 7, 2016

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