William Wendt Exhibition in Laguna and........ Tagged!(x2)

I had the pleasure this weekend of visiting Laguna Beach to get together with my daughter, Francesca, and her husband, Greg. Laguna is always beautiful and it's a convenient half-way place between San Diego where they live, and LA, where I live with my husband, Gastone, and our grandson, Tyler. As an additional incentive, the Laguna Art Museum is hosting a special exhibition of the paintings of William Wendt. I wanted to see it and I knew my daughter and Greg would too.

We thoroughly enjoyed looking at the gorgeous work that Wendt created. It was interesting to see so many familiar places as they were 80-100 years ago. I also enjoyed seeing how Wendt's style changed as years and experiences affected him. If you can possibly get down to Laguna before the show is over in early February, do so! (Apparently you're not supposed to take photos, but I did get a few shot before one of the guards informed me that photography wasn't permitted.)

There is a GORGEOUS book of Wendt's work which can be purchased as well. Right now it's way over my price range, but I understand a paperback version will be available later in the show.

I do have to say that Wendt's later work really reminds me of the work of Karl Dempwolf. Karl is one of the people I admire and from whom I have taken classes. It is apparent that he admires Wendt and has been heavily influenced by him. I decided to find out more about Wendt's life and found this information on the net:

Biography: William Wendt
Taken from the website of the Edenhurst Gallery

One of California's best-known landscape painters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, William Wendt was called the "Dean of Southern California" artists. His landscapes were especially known for rich greens and browns. In 1911, he became founder of the California Art Club, which he served as President from 1911 to 1919. This organization reflected his commitment to plein-air painting of the California landscape.

His style was impressionism, obviously influenced by the Decorative Style of Arthur Mathews, and his landscapes seldom had figures in them. Indicative of the breadth of his reputation was his election in 1912 as an Associate of the National Academy of Design in New York. He was born in Bentzen, Germany, and in 1880, immigrated to Chicago where, largely self taught, he studied briefly at the Chicago Art Institute and worked as a commercial artist. His close friend was artist Gardner Symons, and they made several trips to Southern California between 1894 and 1906. Wendt's adoption of impressionism as a style "can almost be dated to 1896-97" when he and Symons "were painting together on the Malibu Rancho near Los Angeles." Both men were in the avant-garde of American painters in that they were open to the Impressionist style that had begun in France in the mid 19th century. And Southern California was a perfect location for depicting the bright colors, atmospheric conditions, and shimmering light that were characteristic of Impressionism.

In Chicago, Wendt was not a particularly successful artist, but he was well received in California almost from the time he settled there in 1906. That same year he married sculptress Julia Bracken, and they moved to Los Angeles, buying the studio home of Marion and Elmer Wachtel on Sichel Street. In 1913, he and Julia built a home in Laguna Beach, and they frequently exhibited together. In California, Wendt was not a studio painter but worked outside, "en plein air", and explored the unique native landscape, often going into the wilderness. He had a deep reverence for nature, especially the unsettled wilderness, which he regarded as a place for silence and contemplation. Art historian Nancy Moure wrote that during the forty years of painting in California, Wendt's work became stronger and bolder and that with his brush, he was carving "out the underlying structure of the mountains, delighting in the folds of the earth. . . .His colors also moved away from the organic to stronger and purer tones; for a period he seems fascinated with a brilliant green. . . .These changes can be interpreted as personal growth or an attempt to update his style with the arrival of European Impressionists in Southern California."

He also painted National Park landscapes in Washington state and in Arizona but refused to paint the Grand Canyon, because he felt it was "impossible" to do the image justice on canvas.As Los Angeles became increasingly populated, William Wendt pulled away from the active city, and in 1919 settled in Laguna Beach until his death in 1946.

His works are in many collections including the Union Club in Seattle; the Art Institute of Chicago; the Pasadena Art Institute, and the Springville, Utah Museum.

Source: AskArt, http://www.askart.com/Edan Hughes, "Artists in California, 1786-1940"Nancy Dustin Wall Moure, "California Art: 450 Years of Painting & Other Media"

*************TAGGED!!!!!!! ............ then TAGGED AGAIN!!!!************

On another note, I was just honored to be "tagged" this weekend by Karen Phipps whose blog I enjoy. I had been tagged once before by Linda Blondheim when I first started blogging and didn't really know what it was all about, but found it fun. But then, suddenly I was tagged again by Paula Villanova - another great blogger! Thanks ladies... What a fun game!!

The rules for tagging are these:

1. put a link in your posting about the artist that tagged you.
2. write 5 -7 unusual things about yourself.
3. tag 5 - 7 other bloggers and let them know.

Things that could possibly be considered unusual about me:

1. I met my husband, Gastone, in Venice, Italy, while I was on vacation and married him there one year later in 1971. Most of the tourists who took pictures of the wedding party, probably thought my Mom and Dad and my maid of honor were Italians. The church where I was married (Santa Maria Dei Miracoli) was built before Columbus discovered America and was built from left-over marbles from St. Mark's Basilica.

2. I am, like, a "Valley Girl". Born in Burbank and living in the San Fernando Valley almost all of my life... except for four years of college at UCSB and two years living in Venice, CA, before I met my husband in Venice, Italy, then moving back to the VALLEY. (Gag me with a spoon.)

3. I was a teacher, then a Principal in LAUSD for a VERY LONG TIME. Every once in a while I enjoy meeting adults who were either in my class when I was a teacher or at one of the schools where I served as a Principal.

4. My grandson, Tyler, who is 8 is also my son since my husband and I adopted him. My youngest daughter, Francesca, sometimes teases and says that he is her "brophew". Tyler is comfortable with Italian so when we visit his cousins in Italy, they speak Italian to him and he speaks English to them and everyone understands each other.

5. My son, Jon-Paul, owns and runs a Paintball Company called Critical Paintball. He travels all over the country playing paintball and networking. He has a retail store and an online business.

Since I'm pretty ordinary otherwise, I think I'll stick with 5 things about me, and will enjoy reading all about the following people who I am now TAGGING (Okay... so there are 9... what's the big deal??):

Sharon Weaver

Silvina Day

Faye Christian Phillips

Mary Sheehan Winn

Frank Gardner Frank was apparently just tagged by 3 other people so I will let him off the hook for telling unusual things about himself!! :)

Bonnie Luria

John Wright

Lisa Towers and Bill Jones They both write the blog.. perhaps they can share unusual things???

Dar Presto