By Susan Shinn
sshinn@salisburypost.com
WINSTON-SALEM ó Sharyn Turner sums up well the new exhibition at Reynolda House Museum of American Art.
“This is that kind of springtime exhibit that gives you a lift,” says Turner, the museum’s public relations specialist.
“American Impressions: Selections from the National Academy Museum” continues through June 28 at the museum in Winston-Salem.
The show, which is on display in the museum’s Mary and Charlie Babcock, wing, displays 36 pieces of art, including four from the house’s own art collection.
The show’s signature image is “A Sunlit Hillside” by Robert William Vonnoh, the first painting you’ll see when you enter the gallery.
Through these paintings, the exhibit explains the influence of the French Impressionists on American painters, although these painters made the genre their own.
The American Impressionists tended to use bolder colors in their palette, including black, Turner says.
An example of this is “In the Studio,” by William Merritt Chase, from the house’s own collection. It depicts a young girl reading and includes black, Chinese red and taupe in its color palette.
Some of the paintings don’t even look as if they’re from this period, Turner admits, noting that the show is called “American Impressions.”
It’s about these artists’ reactions to Impressionism, she says.
An example of this might be “Hidden Moon” by Birge Harrison. The painting is quite murky until you view it closely. It’s an example of what’s called Luminarism, the study of light.
Claude Monet’s influence is apparent in Chaucey Foster Ryder’s “Phantom Lake” with its pastel palette and in the patterning of the pine trees.
And Gifford Reynolds Beal’s “The Mall ó Central Park” is the epitome of Impressionism with its scene of leisure life.
The show encompasses work from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of these artists, Turner says, traveled abroad to study art.
This included Henry Osawa Tanner, an African-American artist.
His artwork, “A Miraculous Haul of Fishes,” is another signifcant piece of art in this exhibit.
“It’s spectacular,” Turner says.
The art is displayed beautifully in the museum’s new wing, with soaring ceilings and warm oak floors.
“This is just a wonderful, flexible space,” says Allison Perkins, the museum’s executive director.
Temporary walls painted celery help accommodate different-sized exhibitions and also help with traffic flow, Perkins notes.
The small walls, situated in a L-shape, create a “cozier viewing experience,” she adds.
An example of this is a self-portrait by Lillian Westcott Hale juxtaposed with a portrait by Dorothy Ochtman.
Ochtman captured her father, Leonard Ochtman, an Impressionist landscape artist, in his studio. It’s a nice pairing.
Another interesting grouping is a series of snowscapes by Robert Spencer, John Folinsbee, Charles Rosen and Andro Hibbard.
At first glance, they’re fairly similar but become distinctly different upon further examination.
Portraits are also a part of this exhibit because members of the National Academy of Art, located in New York City, had to submit portraits as part of the membership process.
There’s even a portrait of Monet by John Singer Sargent, which is so modest that it might be overlooked.
All works in the show are done by artists who were members of this academy. There are also landscapes, still lifes and genre scenes ó scenes from everyday life.
A breathtaking example of this is “Margaret By The Window” by Edward Dufner.
The National Academy artwork is meant to dovetail with selections from the house’s collection, according to Allison Slaby, assistant curator.
“We were looking for something that would complement our collection and offer insights to this period,” says Slaby, who first saw the show at the National Academy Museum.
“We’re the only other venue,” Slaby says. “We have a little bit of New York in Winston-Salem, which is nice. They are really some treasures from the National Academy. To bring these masterworks here is really a great opportunity for us.”
Two of the selections from Reynolda House are on loan from Barbara Millhouse, a granddaughter of R.J. Reynolds. Millhouse founded the Reynolda House museum.
The show, Slaby adds, represents an important time in the history of the National Academy of Art. “America was trying to work out its cultural identity. It was still a young country.”
There were groups of artists who splintered off from the academy because they thought it too conservative, only to rejoin later when they themselves become more conservative. Other artists represented in the show include George Bellows, William Glackens and Childe Hassam.
For a complete list of events surrounding the exhibit, call 336-758-5150, 888-663-1149 or visit www.reynoldahouse.org.