Also this issue: Swinging On Through -Paul Burress Arthur -Patrick Rapa OutFest -Maura Johnston

October 10-16, 2002

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Edwin Dickinson

In the muted tones and half-tones that conjure an impression of realism, the paintings of Edwin Dickinson often weave roundly surrealist subject matter, never minding how the two might clash. The first force of this most mighty conflict in art ideology was just beginning to be felt when, in the early 20th century, Dickinson began to paint. But the expected transition from safe to jagged sensibilities is not as straight-forward: Dickinson started out in portraiture, and the collected efforts of this much-overlooked Seneca Falls, N.Y., artist demonstrates a constant querulousness within its classical technique. To wit: One of his most recognizable self-portraits, now on show at PAFA along with 94 prints and paintings, shows him seated and relaxed, his face and body turned almost away from the viewer. So much for revelation. Yet, in the context of his later ascension into surrealism, this allows us a glimpse of the artist’s logic: Shouldering off the comfortable gaze, urging us toward a more questioning one.

“Edwin Dickinson: Dreams and Realities,” through Jan. 12, 2003, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 118 N. Broad St., 215-972-7600, www.pafa.org.

—Juliet Fletcher