On Thursday July 18, James Lancel McElhinney sat down with curator Anna Marley to talk about her exhibition “From the Schuylkill to the Hudson: Landscapes of the Early Republic” now on view at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts through December 29, 2019.
The exhibition unpacks the backstory to the Hudson River School by revealing Philadelphia as the epicenter of artistic production that gave the new republic a pictorial identity, based on scenic views of terrain.
Marley’s exhibition at PAFA displays paintings of topographical views, conversation-pieces and house portraits. Prints, transfer-war China and other decorative arts are also featured. A series of related public programs accompany the exhibition. For more information, please visit the exhibition website at: https://www.pafa.org/exhibitions/schuylkill-hudson-early-american-landscapes

View of Fairmount Water Works 1821 by Thomas Birch (1779-1851)

McElhinney’s installation “O.T.W. On the Water: The Schuylkill River” will remain on view at Independence Seaport Museum through January 5, 2020. “Discover the Hudson Anew: James McElhinney and the Art of Seeing” ooens at the Hudson River Museum on September 13, 2019, and runs through February 16, 2020.