Topic: The Artist's Studio
If you ever have the opportunity to drive through the White Mountains of N.H., on a clear winter's morning when the sun is just rising on the eastern horizon, you will certainly find the fleeting views of the rugged snow-capped slopes an awesome sight. Tinged in pinks, and purples, the soaring ridge lines peek above the trees, illuminated against the brightening blue sky. It's a sight that can only be described as breath-taking.
On Feb. 28th, I was fortunate enough to have seen these amazing views while traveling south on Rte 3, to meet fourteen other NHPleinair artists at the Museum of NH History. While gazing at the majestic mountains in all of their grandeur, I couldn't help but feel exhilarated and excited about the trip that still lay ahead....a journey back into an artist's world, as it was in the nineteenth century.
"Consuming Views: Art and Tourism in the White Mountains 1850-1900", is a collection of thirty-seven paintings by thirty-two artists, who lived in or traveled to the White Mountains during the later part of the nineteenth century. The exhibit is currently on display at the Museum of NH History, and was co-curated by Roger E. Belson, and John J. Henderson. The exhibit includes work by some well-known artists like Benjamin Champney, Thomas Hill, and Jasper Francis Cropsey, as well as several lesser-known artists such as Erdix Tenney Wilson, a photographer and painter who lived in Lancaster, NH.
Roger met our little group of plein-air artists in the lobby, and proceeded to expertly guide us through the exhibition, from one amazing painting to another. In pointing out particular styles, or specific subject matter the artists were known to have included in their paintings, Roger personally introduced us to each of the artists, and drew us back into their creative world.....one that existed between 100 and 150 years ago.
It was a time when people traveled for several days, by train, by stage coach, and by horse back, to reach the grande hotels, and explore the summits of the White Mountains. A time when an artist would have hiked to distant passes, and climbed undeveloped ridges in order to capture the essence of a spectacular view in a sketch book, or on a small canvas.
It is estimated that 400 artists were known to have painted various regions of the White Mountains during that time. More than 100 of these artists were women. They traveled and worked throughout the region from the Saco Valley, to the Conways, to Bartlett, and Jackson, through Crawford and Franconia Notch, to Jefferson, Randolph, and Gorham.
Several artists worked as an "artist in residence", living and working at one of many grande hotels scattered among the mountains. The Profile House, the Crawford House (hmmm....where have I seen that name before?), and the Glen House, were only three of the huge establishments built to accommodate guests visiting the region. The resident artists worked to capture the scenes of the area, selling them to vacationers who wanted to return home with a remembrance of their trip.
Though creative, the White Mountain artists were business men and women, and there's little doubt their primary goal was likely set on making a living. However, through their expert renderings of the time, they also became significant historians, providing bits of visual information for everyone who lived after them. Their amazing work succeeded in capturing images that have become windows to their era.....a way for us to visually look back in time, and to learn. More importantly, they've provided us a way to see how far we've come, and where as humans, we fit into the vast scheme of things.
As I wandered among the paintings produced by these talented painters, so many years ago, framed in enormous and exquisitely carved gold leaf frames, I felt awed by what they had been able to accomplish. Later, as I drove home, through Franconia Notch, and adjacent to the Presidential Range, I felt grateful for their contribution, and I searched again, for those images they had captured so long ago.
The trip made me realize how similar our worlds are, and yet how different the times. The brilliant peeks of the mountains still glowed in the setting sun. The ridge lines remained the same, rising, steadfast in form, bathed in lavendars, golds, and pinks. Yet, we no longer ride by in a Concord Coach, enjoying the time to admire the approach. We wiz past, in sports cars, and SUV's, on paved highways, with little time to catch but a fleeting glance of what was, and still is. It is astounding to consider the historical events, and the changes that have taken place.
Over the past few days, I've been reflecting back on my many trips through the mountains, and my trip to Crawford Notch and Bartlett last spring, and it has occured to me, how important our work as artists really is, even today. No work of art can be considered insignificant, when it is considered the only record of that precise and precious moment in time. As artists, we are all recorders of history, whether we render a work in crayon, or by means of the masters.....whether we create from what's there, or invent our own interpretation......whether we create with words, paint, music, or dance.....whether we are old, or young, or whether we even have what is construed by others to be talent. Our work IS significant. It is a reflection of human sustenance and existence, a factor that defines man-kind. Over many thousands of years, it has been a profession that has contributed explicitly and completely, to where we've been, where we are, and where we will be. The enormity of our task, is dwarfed only by the significance of what we do.
Perhaps, aside from finding a way to support themselves, the White Mountain artists did understand the significance of what they were able to accomplish. But, if not, perhaps we can. Thank goodness, artists like Samuel Lancaster Gerry captured the profile of the Old Man, rising above Profile Lake, in 1886. And thank goodness, his remarkable painting has been preserved and included among the many "Consuming Views" of yester-year, for us to enjoy. He could not have known the Profile would no longer be a part of the NH landscape today. But, then again, only a few years ago, neither did we. Digital images, photographs, and the like, may withstand time, but will they last 150 years? It's hard to say. It's also hard to imagine how many of OUR consuming views will have changed during the next 150 years. I for one, am grateful for the many artists who are still out there, capturing our moments in history....just doing what they do.
If you're interested in going to see this exhibit, it will be on display at the Museum of NH History, through May 6th, 2007. Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 12 noon to 5 p.m. The museum is also open Monday 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. from July 1 through October 15, and in the month of December. Admission: $5.50 for adults; $4.50 for seniors; $3 for children 6-18, with a family maximum of $17. Children under 6 and members of the New Hampshire Historical Society are admitted free.
New Hampshire Historical Society Website, http://www.nhhistory.org/
If you can't get there in person, you might enjoy visiting the online virtual exhibit @ http://www.nhhistory.org/cv/ This site includes all of the paintings displayed in the "Consuming Views" exhibition.
More information about the White Mountain artists can be found at http://www.whitemountainart.com/ This site includes autobiographies of the artists, and several of their paintings. It features a searchable database, which allows you to browse by location, artist, etc.
You can read more about NHPleinair, and our trip to the museum on the NHPleinair website @ http://www.nhpleinair.com/outings/outings2007/feb07/consumingviewstrip.htm
Look for additional articles featuring some of the White Mountain artists, and information about the subjects of their work, to appear under "Historical Tidbits" in future postings here on ArtRECreation. Here's a little teaser......
What happened to the Willey Family? And where did all the hotels go?
Until next time,
Happy Creating!
