ALLENTOWN, Pa - A portrait done in paint can capture the inner essence of a person in ways a selfie cannot, according to Holly Harter, curator of the Baum School of Art's newest exhibition.
It's called “Of Portraiture & Polio” and features paintings of her second cousin David Emerson Baum created by his grandfather, Walter Emerson Baum.
- A new exhibition in Allentown shares portraits of David Emerson Baum, grandson of the late Walter Emerson Baum who founded the Baum School of the Arts
- The show runs from Jan. 6 through Feb. 4, 2023
- Holly Harter, the second cousin to David Baum and great-granddaughter of Walter Baum, curated the exhibit
Walter Baum founded the Baum School of Art, a nonprofit community school in Allentown, in 1926 during the Great Depression.
Harter said her views on portraiture are not intended to be dismissive of selfies, which she acknowledged are a big part of people’s lives. They’re important to capture who we are, she said.
But a painting is slower and a more intimate process that involves both the artist and subject getting to know each other, according to the curator.
“It's very intimate to sit with an artist and be painted and sketched because you're sitting there for a couple minutes, an hour or several hours,” Harter said. “It’s a lot of very quiet time. There’s a lot said in the unspoken moment.”
The results of that process for David Baum and his grandfather are now on display in the school's latest show, which runs from Jan. 6 through Feb. 4.
Of Portraiture & Polio
Harter discovered the portraits of David Baum when she was helping him go through his estate before moving to an assisted living facility. Harter said David Baum held on to the portraits, which captured his life from early childhood through his teen years, treasuring them and even displaying some in his home.
David Baum died in September 2021, following a battle with leukemia.
Harter said she found the paintings endearing and wanted to preserve them. So she spoke with David Baum during his final months of life about creating an exhibition — an idea he embraced.
“It's very intimate to sit with an artist and be painted and sketched because you're sitting there for a couple minutes, an hour or several hours. It’s a lot of very quiet time. There’s a lot said in the unspoken moment."Holly Harter, curator of "On Portraiture & Polio" exhibition at the Baum School of Art
David Baum contracted polio in the 1930s, when he was three years old. The virus left David Baum with the usage of half his body. The challenges imposed by the virus meant that he spent a lot of time with his grandfather, which led to the portrait series, a departure from Walter Baum's more typical landscape paintings.
Walter Baum also painted portraits of his wife and other family members, but Harter said those works are less well-known.
For David Baum, the painting sessions were something he groaned about from time to time when he was a child and teenager, Harter said.
However, sitting for portraits often came with little adventures for the grandfather and his grandson, like having lunch and seeing Salvador Dali at a café at the Art Alliance in Philadelphia, or attending meetings with different artists. David Baum even dabbled in magic with his grandfather, Harter said.
“They both liked magic and gags,” Harter said. “Apparently they would stop at a magic shop somewhere between Philadelphia and Perkasie, the Sellersville area, which I thought was hilarious. They bought magic stuff. But they had a lot of good times together. I think David, as an adult looking back, he appreciated those times being painted.”
In addition to portraits, the exhibition also includes photographs of David Baum, allowing audiences to compare what he looked like as a teen and adult.
And beyond offering audiences a chance to see a previously private collection, the exhibition also aims to show people the impact polio had on society in the first half of the twentieth century.
David Baum lives on
Baum School of Art Executive Director Shannon Fugate said the school is offering a new scholarship to honor the subject of the show, the David Emerson Baum Memorial Scholarship. It is funded through an endowment that allows students to attend classes at the art school.
Fugate said scholarships for the Baum School of the Arts were important to Walter Baum and all of the Baum family.
The Baum School of Art is approaching its 100th year in operation.
