Genius of Literature
Date1903-1905
Artist
Howard Pyle
(American illustrator, 1853–1911)
MediumOil on canvas glued to plywood
Dimensions65 × 111 in. (165.1 × 281.9 cm)
support (panel): 71 × 117 in. (180.3 × 297.2 cm)
support (panel): 71 × 117 in. (180.3 × 297.2 cm)
Credit LineGift of Louisa du Pont Copeland, 1923
Object number1998-205
On View
On viewClassificationsPAINTING
Label TextThis is one of nine mural panels completed by Howard Pyle between 1903 and 1907 for his Wilmington home at 907 Delaware Avenue. After the turn of the century, Pyle - although he continued to publish numerous illustrations - was increasingly dissatisfied with the direction of American illustration and decided to seek mural commissions. After winning three such commissions, he traveled to Italy to study Renaissance murals. He died there in 1911.The two large panels depict the Genius of Art and the Genius of Literature, representing Pyle's conviction that the two arts are linked.
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