Wiregrass Museum of Art

photos: Main Gallery

Dothan, Alabama

334-794-3871, 334-972-1746

Heart and Soul of the South: The Paintings of John Kelly Fitzpatrick (1888 - 1953)

John Kelly Fitzpatrick (1888 - 1953), born in Kellyton, Alabama, was an advocate for Alabama artists. He strongly supported their aesthetic entitlement, believing that only a Southern artist could truly capture the essence of his or her own section of the country. It was this belief in the native soul's connection to the land that made him the heart of the regional art scene in the 1930s and 40s.

Heart and Soul of the South presents the regional viewpoint that is deeply embedded in Fitzpatrick's work. These paintings capture the "Southern scene" in vivid color. Themes include idealized landscapes and the powerful effects of religion, agriculture, and romance on everyday life. (left: John Kelly Fitzpatrick, Saturday Morning, 1935, oil on composition board, on loan from the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts)

The Alabama Department of Archives has loaned the beloved Music Room Paintings to the Wiregrass Museum of Art. This series demonstrates Fitzpatrick's ability to express the vitality and energy of the South by distorting and elongating proportions, without the inclusion of familiar, negative stereotypes. Selections from the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts and rarely seen works from various private lenders add depth to this assemblage. The exhibit is sponsored by Merrill Lynch and made possible by a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts.

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