California Impressionism

The book was in excellent condition (new) and was available for less than half the price of the book in the museum bookstores. It has good color reproductions and interesting companion text.

Wonderful colors and plates. Inspirational to browse through or informative to read and digest. A good addition to any art library.

As discussed in the book, the California Impressionists were creationists, and painted the glories of nature as being from the hand of the Almighty. It might very well be that such a perspective is necessary to fully apreciate the spectacular scenery of their state. Accordingly, as Will South points out, the California Impressionists were more the artistic ancestors of the Hudson River School rather than their presumed French forbears. The color reporductions in this book are quite good and the narrative is informative, though I must admit the first part of the book starts a bit slow with many names, dates and places. Later on the book more deeply delves into aesthetic considerations and picks up quite quickly. By the end of the book the movement loses its steam at the same time as the idyllic and pastoral California of their paintings increasingly vanishes under a flood of paradise seeking immigrants from the east and we are left with a sense of wistful regret at the loss. Yet this book preserves the art and times of late 19th, early 20th century California, and does so memorably well.

As the inside cover reads and I completely agree, "Lavishly illustrated, painstakingly researched, and gracefully written, this handsome volume is the definitive study of California's distinctive style of Impressionism." Dr Will South provides a chronological survey of the California Impressionists starting in the later part of the 1800's up to the final days in the 1920's-30's. Dr. Gerdts analyzes the California Impressionist Movement with style. With biographies of approximately 75 artists and an extensive bibliography, this volume is not just a coffee table art book. It is an important research tool to conduct an extensive study of any of these artists.

The paintings throughout the book are reproduced in radiant and superb color, helping one grasp the phenomenal beauty conveyed by the works. The pages are thicker and heavier than most of the art books on the market today. The paintings of the California masters are included as well as some works by lesser known artists. The text is fresh, easy and fun to read, and the chapters are well organized, exploring the origins and evolution of the Impressionistic movement in California. I predict this volume will become a classic. Definitely worth the money!