Bayard Taylor Berndt: Brandywine Valley Artist, by David Berndt

Author: David Berndt

Author David Berndt’s memorial to the life and work of his father, Bayard Taylor Berndt, is also a history of one of America’s most appealing schools of art. Berndt’s paintings capture the beauty and industry of northern Delaware and Pennsylvania during the mid-twentieth century. His vibrant colors and confident brushwork reflect his training in the “Brandywine Tradition”.

Howard Pyle founded the Brandywine River School in Wilmington, Delaware in the closing years of the 19^th Century. Berndts’ teachers were among Pyle’s most celebrated students—Stanley Arthurs, Frank Schoonover, and N.C. Wyeth. Son David has assembled a beautiful collection of his father’s plein aire land and waterscapes, many of which have never been seen before. He complements his father’s art with stories and little-known facts about life in the Brandywine Valley. John Schoonover has provided a touching introduction and several of the artist’s colleagues have provide remembrances of their old friend and mentor.