LUDLOW — BRAM has opened an exhibit on World War I as seen through the thoughtful eyes of the lithographer Theophile Alexandre Steinlen. Steinlen (1859 – 1923) was born in Switzerland ,where he studied art at Lausanne. In 1882, he moved to Paris and became a leading illustrator for popular French journals for whom he produced over four hundred lithographs. As an artist he was not merely a commercial success but showed great sensitivity toward social issues and with the outbreak of The Great War, as World War I was then known, adapted his work to reflect the agonies and sufferings of the soldiers and civilians.
Steinlen captures the ugly humanity of the war, not only of the tired and forsaken soldiers, but also the civilians: the women, the children and the elderly who also suffered the ravages of the war. Steinlen remained profoundly both a humanist and a pacifist.
These original lithographs are presented by The Amity Foundation, a non-profit organization, and was curated by John Stewart, a part time resident of Ludlow. For more info, call 802-228-5050, email glbrehm@tds.net or visit www.bramvt.org. The museum is located at 14 High Street in Ludlow and is open Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. or by appointment.
