The INDIANA DUNES REVEALED: The Art of Frank V. Dudley

by James R. Dabbert, Wendy Greenhouse, Joan Gibb Engel

A native Midwesterner’s timeless portrayals of a fragile sanctuary  The Indiana Dunes Revealed offers the first comprehensive examination of a widely collected, much loved, and ecologically significant artist. Described by art historian William Gerdts as “one of the finest painters working in the Midwest in the first decades of the twentieth century,” Frank V. Dudley (1868-1957) was a native of Wisconsin who studied at the Art Institute of Chicago before going on to establish a long exhibition record both there and across the country. He also dedicated over forty years of his professional life as a landscape painter to the promotion and preservation the Indiana Dunes. Today, thanks in part to Dudley’s efforts, this unique geographical region enjoys state and federal protection and provides ecologists from around the world with a living laboratory unlike anything else.   The Indiana Dunes Revealed serves as the accompanying catalogue for the exhibition of Dudley’s work showing from August 15 to November 30, 2006 at the Brauer Museum of Art at Valparaiso University. Featuring 150 color and 70 black-and-white images, it celebrates Dudley’s unique artistic legacy, documents the exhibition, and demonstrates the painter’s importance to environmentalists and naturalists, especially during the many years of national debate over the designation of parts of the dunes as a national park. In some areas, Dudley’s painting may be the only record of a lost dunescape, and as the struggle between development and preservation continues, his enduring art reminds us of the need for a sustainable environment for the Great Lakes. 

237 pages, Paperback

First published September 22, 2006

Reviews

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

To my knowledge, this is the definitive source on the impressionist painter Frank V. Dudley. Dabbert and Co. deliver a thorough telling of the life of the artist and do well to situate Dudley in the personal, local, historical, artistic, and environmental contexts.

What do you need to know? Dudley devoted much of his artistic career to painting the Indiana Dunes. This effort was not just celebratory of the beauty of nature, but artistic activism. Dudley's work was integral to the preservation of the Dunes. He was a key figure in the establishment of the State Park, and, later, protecting the land from commercial encroachment. It is my belief that all those who have, do, and continue to enjoy the Dunes - from the Northwest Indiana community and across the globe - owe Dudley a great deal of respect.

Given the artist's low-key clout and the scattered nature of his works, The Indiana Dunes Revealed is a valuable piece for those interested in exploring Dudley's catalog. I hope in the near future, with the Indiana Dunes State Park Centennial approaching in 2025, that Dudley is given the limelight he merits.

[Lyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an art book about the art of Frank V Dudley. He was a Chicago landscape painter. He paintings of the Indiana Dunes helped create the public will to preserve the dunes in a state park.
It is a wonderful book showing his marvelous artwork and shows recorded history of the area.