An ongoing “Joseph Stella: Visionary Nature” exhibit at the Brandywine Museum of Art in Chadds Ford explores the artist’s more nature-centric works, writes Bedatri D. Choudhury for The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

Stella, an Italian immigrant who moved to New York City in 1896, started his painting career by drawing cities and moments in the lives of the immigrants within them. 

“His style was pretty much in line with what Chase had been doing in his career — very rapid brushstrokes, really expressive portraits,” said Audrey Lewis, associate curator at Brandywine Museum of Art. 

Once he moved to Pittsburgh in 1908, his style evolved. The city’s living conditions, poverty, and the plight of its miners were all depicted in his works. 

Over a decade later, he turned his focus more towards nature. The resulting works are featured in the exhibition that ends on Sept. 24. They span works from 1918 through 1946, the year he died. 

The exhibition explores “the powerful spiritual connection he felt with the natural world through his many paintings of flora and fauna.” 

Read more about the Joseph Stella exhibit in The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

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