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The Brandywine School.

     The movement was founded by Howard Pyle (1853-1911) an illustrator and art teacher at Drexel Institute (now University) in Philadelphia.  His paintings were used extensively as illustrations for children' books such as Treasure Island, Robin Hood, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.  He seemed to have a fascination with pirates.  Some examples of his work include:

     The Brandywine school emphasizes strict representational art, close to if not outright photo-realistic.  They blur the distinction between illustrator and artist.  Apparently an illustrator is a painter whose works are published in books, magazines, advertisements, etc. while an artist is one whose works are sold and exhibited.  It is entirely possible to be both.  The name of the school comes from the Brandywine Valley, an area in Delaware County immediately outside of Philadelphia, where most artists associated with the school lived.  The towns of Chadd's Ford and Kennett Square are home to those artists.     

Pyle's best known pupil is N. C. Wyeth, also an illustrator of children's books.      

Daniel Boone.  1940, 24" X 28", oil on canvas.

     N.C. Wyeth's paintings (illustrations) are similar to Pyle's but not at all like the art of his son Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009) who is unquestionably an artist.  One of America's leading artists.  His best known work is Christina's World:

Christina's World.  1948, 32" X 48", tempera on gessoed panel

And he has done other important work including the Helga series.  Between 1971 - 1985, Wyeth completed 240 works, tempera, watercolors, pencil, etc., portraying his neighbor Helga.  He said they were done as a study of the effects of light on the female body.  Here are a some examples:

Whatever else, the paintings are characteristic of Wyeth's style which is distinctly different from that of his son, Jamie Wyeth (1946-    ) who, also unlike his grandfather, is clearly an artist:              

Portrait of a Pig.  1975, 34" X 44", oil