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1 1 The life and work of artist George Ames Aldrich (1871–1941) are the focus of this book, produced in conjunction with a major 2012 exhibition of the artist’s paintings at the Brauer Museum of Art, Valparaiso University. A highly regarded artist, Aldrich drew upon his years of experience living and studying in Europe to create beautiful landscape paintings, particularly scenes of northern France. He began his career in Europe as an illustrator and through studyandpracticebecameincreasinglyskilledinhisromantic representations of the land and water in the peaceful French countryside. Aldrich moved to the Chicago area in 1915 and then lived for several years in South Bend, Indiana, before returning to Chicago. He won several awards for his art, which heexhibitedattheArtInstituteofChicago,theHoosierSalon, the Chicago Galleries Association, and elsewhere. In South Bend, Aldrich remains a legendary figure who contributed much to the history of art in Indiana. Michael Wright, curator of the 2012 exhibition, assembled many of Aldrich’s strongest works for the artist’s firsteverretrospective ,identifyingkeypiecesinpublicandprivate collections, some representing French subjects but others depicting the Midwestern steel industry and American nature. The essays in this volume by Wendy Greenhouse, assisted by Michael, explore in detail Aldrich’s life, influences, sources of inspiration, and art-historical context, shedding new light on the career of an artist whose works continue to impress and delight collectors and viewers. We are grateful to numerous individuals and organizations who made the exhibition and this publication possible. FirstandforemostisPeterLundbergofJanusGalleries,Madison , Wisconsin, who has done considerable research on Aldrich and generously shared it for this project, which would not have been possible without his expertise. Peter provided invaluable access to Aldrich’s scrapbook as well as his files and manuscript biography of the artist. Our thanks also go to Richard Brauer, William Briska, Jan Cover of Purdue University , Gary Cialdella, Joel Dryer, Richard and Phyllis Duesenberg , Mike Ficheel of the Aurora Historical Society, Patti Gilford , Bronislaus Janulis, Michael Koryta, Michael A. Nickol, Richard Norton and Susan Klein-Bagdad of Richard Norton INTRODUC TION & ACKNOWLED GMENTS 2 I N T RO D U C T I O N & ACK N OW L ED G M EN T S 2 I N T RO D U C T I O N & ACK N OW L ED G M EN T S Gallery in Chicago, Dean Porter, Oslo art consultant Vidar Poulsson,MonicaandRonaldRadecki,andJimRoss.Wealso acknowledge the assistance of the staff of Indiana University Press, the Ryerson and Burnham Libraries at the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Local History and Genealogy Collection at the South Bend Public Library. At the Brauer Museum, the project was ably managed and assisted by Gloria Ruff, Danielle Ren Hertzlieb, and Aran Kessler. At Valparaiso University , we are grateful for the institutional support of President MarkHeckler,ProvostMarkSchwehn,andAssociateProvost Renu Juneja. The staff of Valparaiso University’s Office of Integrated Marketing and Communications provided essential promotional services, and the Partners for the Brauer Museum of Art generously underwrote the project. We are also grateful to the lenders to the exhibition: Richard and Jean Dennen; the Charles S. Hayes family; Brian KastmanandAnnRohrbaugh;BernieandSueKonrady;Martin and Debbie Radecki; Drs. Nicole and Todd Rozycki; the Saunders family; Mary Toll and Bill Heimann; Bradley Vite; Matthew M. Walsh; Mark Forrest West; the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette; the Snite Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame; the South Bend Museum of Art; First Financial Bank, N.A.; Clifford Law Offices, Chicago; Elgin Mental Health Center; the Sioux City Art Center; and an anonymous lender. We deeply appreciate the enthusiasm and support of all involved in the George Ames Aldrich project. Through their efforts, we all are able to gain a better understanding of Aldrich ’s life and creations. Gregg Hertzlieb, Director/Curator Brauer Museum of Art, Valparaiso University ...

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