EARLY CALIFORIA IMPRESSIONISM

Early California Impressionism flourished in the Golden State from the late 19th century until the 1930’s, reaching its heyday in Southern California in the 1920’s. Described by many as plein air or “open air” painting, it had many exponents, including foreign born artists from as far away as Italy, France, Germany, Sweden and England, as well as transplanted Americans from the Eastern seaboard and Midwest. A few, like Maynard Dixon, were native sons, born in the dusty small towns of Northern and Central California.

Lured by a special quality of light and the freedom to paint open spaces that tendered unspoiled vistas, these artists typically remained in California the rest of their lives honing their craft on a year-round basis, far away from the confines of studio-painting that was dictated by seasons rife with inherent drawbacks of inclement weather.

Of the thousands who came, a good many distinguished themselves. Artists such as William Wendt, Edgar Payne, Guy Rose, John Frost, Franz Bischoff and Granville Redmond found immediate favor with collectors and exhibited widely both in-state and nationally. Others, like Hanson Puthuff, Joseph Kleitsch, Maurice Braun and John Gamble rose equally to the top in their field and are considered among the movement’s greatest exponents.

There evolved several distinct microcosms of creativity. The colonies at Laguna Beach, San Diego, Pasadena, the Monterey Peninsula, Oakland, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, emerged as most the important centers. The plein air painters of the Southland formed the largest group, Southern California being the largest mecca for these travelers in search of great inspiration. The Laguna Colony was exceptionally noteworthy, being a town whose literal inception was well-steeped in an artistic tradition. Here, the some of the movement’s loftiest members, William Wendt, Joseph Kleitsch, Edgar Payne, Anna Hills, William Alexander Griffith and others, found their way to its picturesque shores and created canvases of unparalleled beauty.

Though fewer in numbers, the Monterey Colony of artists reached the forefront in the North, and its members are considered among the most respected in the movement. E. Charlton Fortune, William Ritschel, Bruce Nelson, Armin Hansen, and Society of Six members Selden Gile, August Gay, Maurice Logan are giants in the annals of California plein air painting and their elegant body of work attests to their devotion to the unique and inspirational beauty of the California coast.

Though it arrived late on a world chronology, the California Impressionist movement was Impressionism’s swan-song pitched to the highest reverie. From its roots in late 19th century France, to its turn of the century French trained interpreters, it is a period in American art that must be recognized with due and profound respect.

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