Winter Salon: Landscapes: 19th and 20th Century American and European Drawings and Watercolors

Opening January 15 and continuing through March 13, 2005, The Drawing Room is pleased to present an exhibition of American and European landscape drawings and watercolors made in the 19th and early 20th centuries. This exhibition offers viewers insight into the concerns and techniques of period, as well as the historical context for contemporary artists who continue to draw inspiration from the landscape and the sea. Most of the works are sketchbook size and were made en plein air. The European works take us from Mediterranean beaches, to Venetian canals, to Brittany, to French valleys and Algeria, offering both striking contrasts and surprising parallels to the regional American drawings all of which were created on Long Island between 1879 and 1916.

The collection of drawings and paintings on paper from Europe reveal the strength and variety of the landscape tradition in the 19th century when artists focused on nature as she appears, without providing the stage for classical or historical subjects. Particularly in France, where many of these works were made, the love of the tree and the moodiness of the open countryside was clearly a favorite subject. Planned for the winter months when our own landscape is bare, this exhibition invites viewers to see nature through work the 19th century American and European artist made for himself.

See below for full press release.