CHADDS FORD, PA.- In honor of the 30th year of the Brandywine Conservancy's association with the Radnor Hunt Races, the Brandywine River Museum presents an exhibition of the work of famed horse and racing painter, Sir Alfred J. Munnings (1878-1959). Alfred J. Munnings from Regional Collections includes over 50 privately owned works that demonstrate the artist’s superb skill and versatility, from the sporting pictures for which he is best known to his scenes of country fairs and gypsy encampments, as well as his impressionistic landscapes and poetic depictions of women posed in sun-drenched gardens.
“Although Munnings is best known for his equestrian and horse racing paintings, the earliest years of his career were spent roaming the English countryside, painting in the open air,” said Audrey Lewis, associate curator. “He had an Impressionist’s attention to the effects of light on color and form, and he was known to paint outside for long hours through even the harshest weather, sometimes working on two canvases at once.”
Munnings brought the same level of scrutiny to his hunting pictures, focusing not on the action but on the sensation of light, color, and movement he observed in quiet moments. In The End of the Day, Munnings conveys the grey, damp atmosphere of the late afternoon while also subtly suggesting the weariness of a group as they head home after a strenuous day. In his racing pictures, he broke with tradition by portraying the diverse activities of the trainers, jockeys, and grooms as they prepared for the race, and the tense moments when the jockeys and horses are poised for the start, rather than the race itself.
Munnings gained renown for his equestrian portraits, painting for members of the British royal family and wealthy horse owners in both England and the United States. The Brandywine Valley, an area rich in equestrian events, is home to many collectors of masterpieces by Munnings. Because these works are in private collections and seldom exhibited in public institutions, this exhibition offers an extraordinary opportunity to view and experience the full spectrum of the artist’s achievement and a rare look at important paintings.
|
