Etchings Depict Travelers’ Tales From Home And Abroad

WATERBURY — “Travelers’ Tales: Artists at Home and Abroad” will open at the Mattatuck Museum Arts & History Center on Thursday, January 29, with a reception at 5:30 pm.

The exhibition will present more than 65 works by 12 artists from the first half of the 20th Century, exploring the architecture and landscapes of sites as diverse as Istanbul, Florence, and Woodbury. Visitors will see both the art and etching plates of such artists as John Taylor Arms, Louis Orr, Ernest Roth, and Waterbury’s own Edward Balthazar. Correspondence, and journal and diary entries give voice to the feelings of travelers as they visited these wondrous places.

The American etching revival began in the early 1880s, and artists, drawn to the graphic art of engraving, recorded their travels to Europe, Asia and Africa. They also documented the familiar scenes of local communities and large American cities.

The works collected for “Travelers’ Tales” are amazingly detailed and precise, with many of the artists calling upon their architectural training. Drawn from the museum’s collections, the exhibition includes some of the foremost artists from the genre – John Taylor Arms, whose superb technical skills captured scenes in England, France, and Italy where he lived for many years; Louis Orr, whose strong compositional elements created unforgettable view of Paris; and Ernest Roth, who immortalized the spirit of Florence.

“With faithful observation and realistic depiction, the artists have opened windows for us to view the world. Our audience will want to see these images of Europe and Connecticut to compare them to their own travel experiences and memories,” said museum curator Cynthia Roznoy, PhD.

“Travelers’ Tales: Artists at Home and Abroad” will be on view Friday, January 30, through Sunday, April 12.

The Mattatuck Museum Arts & History Center is operated with support from the Connecticut Commission on Cultural & Tourism, and is a member of The Connecticut Art Trail, 15 world-class museums and historic sites (ArtTrail.org). Located at 144 West Main Street, Waterbury, the museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm; and Sunday, noon to 5 pm.  Convenient, free parking is located directly behind the museum on Park Place.

For more information about this exhibition, the museum’s collections, and other programs, call 203-753-0381 extension 10 or visit MattatuckMuseum.org.