Painting and drawing exhibition to open

The exhibition “The Art of Patrick Connors (1958-2022): Bridging Poetry and Vision” will be on view at Studio Incamminati School for Contemporary Realist Art, on the 7th floor of the Bok Building, 1901 S. 9th St., from Oct. 28 to Jan. 6. 

The exhibition is free to the public and is open Monday through Friday, 12:30-1:30 p.m. and at other times by appointment (call 215-592-7910). 

A lavishly illustrated catalog of the exhibition with essays by Dan Thompson, Paul DuSold and Sheila Barker is available for sale in Studio Incamminati’s School Store and Staff Office.

The first retrospective of this beloved Philadelphia painter and art instructor, this exhibition, which has been curated by Dan Thompson, features 84 original oil paintings and drawings from four private collections. Most of these artworks have never been on public view before now. Also on view will be Connors’ pedagogical writings and the instruments he devised for teaching the principles of art.

Connors’ art is distinguished by an enchanting lyricism and a masterful approach to perspective. Many of the landscapes depict Philadelphia’s verdant respites from urban life, such as Laurel Hill, Bartram’s Garden and the shores of the Schuylkill and Delaware rivers. Each of these views is infused with an emotion keyed to the weather and the light. His intimate portraits introduce people to the circle of friends who both appreciated and enriched his art. Equally personal are his still-lifes, in which looming voids cloak the familiar objects of the artist’s daily life in a bittersweet nostalgia.