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This facsimile edition of a 1922 children’s book features seventy-three dynamic and whimsical woodcut illustrations—the first woodcuts that the famed American craftsman Wharton Esherick produced. A high-quality replica authorized by the Wharton Esherick Museum, this book reveals the foundation of Esherick’s direction as an artist. Edited by Museum director Paul Eisenhauer, it also features a foreword by Museum assistant curator Laura Heemer. The illustrations frame verses that introduce children to the principles of evolution, a highly controversial topic at the time: the book was published three years before the famous Scopes “Monkey” trial of 1925 that resulted in the inclusion of the teaching of evolution in public schools. Drawn by the excitement of the controversy, Esherick threw his passion into these illustrations. Afterward he would go on to carve over 300 woodcuts, leading to decorative carving, and ultimately, to Esherick’s realization that he was a sculptor rather than a painter.
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Primary Vessel, Porcelain, underglaze, glaze. 11" H x 9" W x 9" D Created by WEM Artist-in-Residence Roberta Massuch, this one-of-a-kind ceramic vessel was inspired by elements of Esherick's Studio. https://www.robertamassuch.com/ Learn more about the Roberta Massuch: Artist-in-Residence exhibition, which features new site-specific works that reflect Roberta's sensitive and slow observation of Esherick’s idiosyncratic home and studio over the course of many months. Member discount cannot be applied. ITEM# RAM-WEM1
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Turquoise Awning, Porcelain, underglaze, glaze. 14" H x 6" W x 4" D Created by WEM Artist-in-Residence Roberta Massuch, this one-of-a-kind ceramic vessel was inspired by elements of Esherick's Studio. https://www.robertamassuch.com/ Learn more about the Roberta Massuch: Artist-in-Residence exhibition, which features new site-specific works that reflect Roberta's sensitive and slow observation of Esherick’s idiosyncratic home and studio over the course of many months. Member discount cannot be applied. ITEM# RAM-WEM3
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Yellow Grid Vessel, Porcelain, underglaze, glaze. 13" H x 7" W x 4" D Created by WEM Artist-in-Residence Roberta Massuch, this one-of-a-kind ceramic vessel was inspired by elements of Esherick's Studio. https://www.robertamassuch.com/ Learn more about the Roberta Massuch: Artist-in-Residence exhibition, which features new site-specific works that reflect Roberta's sensitive and slow observation of Esherick’s idiosyncratic home and studio over the course of many months. Member discount cannot be applied. ITEM# RAM-WEM2
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Out of stockYellow Line Vessel, Porcelain, underglaze, glaze. 8" H x 5" W x 3.5" D https://www.robertamassuch.com/ Created by WEM Artist-in-Residence Roberta Massuch, this one-of-a-kind ceramic vessel was inspired by elements of Esherick's Studio. Learn more about the Roberta Massuch: Artist-in-Residence exhibition, which features new site-specific works that reflect Roberta's sensitive and slow observation of Esherick’s idiosyncratic home and studio over the course of many months. Member discount cannot be applied. ITEM# RAM-WEM4
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The Society was very pleased to have the opportunity to collaborate with Bob Bascom and the Wharton Esherick Society staff in the production of this special publication and celebrates the life of a truly remarkable woman, and shares some of the stories from her lifelong relationship with her beloved husband, their family, and the community.
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http://www.staceyleewebber.com/ Photo courtesy of the artist
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Out of stockhttp://www.staceyleewebber.com/ Photo courtesy of the artist
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http://www.staceyleewebber.com/ Photo courtesy of the artist
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http://www.staceyleewebber.com/ Photo courtesy of the artist
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http://www.staceyleewebber.com/ Photo courtesy of the artist
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http://www.staceyleewebber.com/ Photo courtesy of the artist
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http://www.staceyleewebber.com/ Photo courtesy of the artist
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In 1922, Wharton Esherick showed a copy Rhymes of Early Jungle Folk, which he had illustrated with woodcut prints, to Harold Mason, owner of the Centaur Bookshop in Philadelphia. Impressed by what he saw, Mason asked Esherick to illustrate Walt Whitman’s Song of the Broad-Axe, which Mason published in a limited edition in 1924. Inspired by the woodcuts, Esherick created a hand-bound prototype book of Whitman’s poem, using prints made directly from his blocks and hand-lettering it in Esherick’s own calligraphic style. Illuminated letters were used to begin paragraphs, and spaces at the end of lines were filled with blue and yellow drawings that reflect the content of the verses. The result of this labor of love was a work of art, 17x12 inches, with pages of handmade paper, folded and uncut. This book is a reproduction of Esherick’s prototype, authorized by the Wharton Esherick Museum. Though this edition is smaller than the prototype book, the original was carefully scanned and printed to provide as true a reproduction as possible. It faithfully captures the artist’s vision and skill and, for the first time, makes this wonderful work available to the general public. It will be appreciated by all admirers of Esherick, Whitman, and lovers of fine books.
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Wharton Esherick and the Birth of the American Modern explores Esherick’s artistic evolution during the early decades of the twentieth century, culminating in the exhibition of his work as part of the Pennsylvania Hill House at the 1940 World's Fair in New York City. Trained as an illustrator and painter, experienced in modern theater and dance, well exposed to new ideas in philosophy, politics, and literature, Esherick experimented with woodcarving and printmaking, laying the foundation for his emergence as an artist of remarkable range.
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Artist Wharton Esherick (1887-1970) is best known for his sculptural wood pieces and the way he applied the principles of sculpture to designs for functional objects. His pioneering work has made him an inspiration to fine woodworkers worldwide, helping to elevate the medium from craft to major art museums. Much of Esherick’s work is now on display in this rural studio he built on a hillside in Pennsylvania. This catalog documents, with beautiful color photography, more than 130 paintings, woodblock prints, sculpture, and utilitarian objects found at the Wharton Esherick Museum. One gains an appreciation for the range and depth of Esherick’s work when these pieces can be studied individually.
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Out of stockWharton Esherick: The Journey of a Creative Mind is the first and only comprehensive look at the colorful life and work of this seminal artist-craftsman. Written by Esherick's son-in-law, it is rich in biographical detail. Lavishly illustrated, it features photos from the Esherick archive in combination with photographs taken expressly for this book of the woodland studio that Esherick designed, built, and furnished for himself over the course of several decades. Now a historic house museum, preserved as Esherick left it, this remarkable structure and its contents, almost all of which he made by hand, are testament to the warmth, poetry, and passion of the one of America's most influential and celebrated artist-craftsman.