Artist Richard Wilt Noted For Drawing, Painting Skill
Artist Richard Wilt Noted For Drawing, Painting Skill
(This is the first of a series of stories, accompanied by self-portraits drawn especially tor The News, about prominent Ann Arbor artists. Others will appear from time to time. The series is done in cooperation with the Ann Arbor Art Association.)
"I do not believe there is a short cut to paintings of quality. The greater the apparent talent, the greater is the need for caution.”
That is one expression of the philosophy of Richard Wilt, instructor in drawing and painting at the University and a prominent member of Ann Arbor’s flourishing “artists’ colony.”
An exhibitor in the nation’s outstanding art shows and winner of many prizes in competition with the best in the United States, Wilt is noted both for his skill as a draftsman and his artistic interpretation and expression.
Works Being Shown
An exhibition of his oils, water colors and drawings is now being shown at the home of Mrs. Jessie W. Forsythe, 1101 Martin PI. The show will continue through April 17.
A native of Tyrone, Pa., Wilt is 37 years old and a graduate of the Carnegie Institute of Technology (a fact which may possibly shed light on his draftsmanship). He served as a U. S. Army pilot in World War II and then became an instructor at the University of West Virginia. He came to the University of Michigan in 1947 and has been here since.
Wilt is married to the former Ellen Bonar, and they have a daughter, Robin Christine. Their home is at 2623 Pittsfield Blvd., Pittsfield Village.
Wilt has had four one-man shows and has been represented in national exhibitions in Boston, New York City and Pittsburgh and in several traveling shows circulated around the country.
Reviewers of his work have stressed Wilt’s use of line, his drawing ability as distinguished from painting, rich color textures and sense of decoration. Such phrases as “immaculate workmanship,” “superb draftsman,” and “classic simplicity” appear frequently.
The self-portrait drawn for The News demonstrates several of these features, including precision lines and drawing that is almost severe. Although he portrays himself as stern, almost forbidding in expression, friends report that Wilt actually is a cheerful soul with a nice sense of humor.
Richard Wilt
(Self-Portrait)