Lyman Allyn - Watercolors 2019

Discovering New Beauty: Watercolor Landscapes of the Northeast

William Trost Richards, The Rocks at Newport, Rhode Island, 1881, gouache on paper, private collection.

“I have made some new walks and discovered new beauties, and believe that I could from Newport scenery make more charming pictures than I ever dreamed of before.”
-William Trost Richards

Landscapes tell stories about place, history, and belonging, capturing the beauty of the world around us. Discovering New Beauty: Watercolor Landscapes of the Northeast examines the varying landscape of the Northeast over the last hundred or so years. Drawn largely from the Lyman Allyn’s permanent collection, this exhibition includes watercolors of the forest, fields, hills, shoreline, and sea. It also explores the built environment, with urban and suburban scenes that reflect on changing demographics. The exhibition looks at watercolor as a medium, exploring different artists’ techniques and considering how the quick-drying pigments are useful for artists working outdoors.

    

Left: Bancel LaFarge, Cornstalks, 1933, watercolor on paper. Lyman Allyn Art Museum, gift of Mrs. Bancel LaFarge, 1943.462; Right:  William Louis Sonntag, Sr.,Rocks and Mountains, ca. 1880s, watercolor on paper. Lyman Allyn Art Museum, gift of Frederick A. Moore, 1956.82.

       I saw this exhibition announced and put it on my calendar.  On the spur on the moment, I called Sandra, a painting friend and invited her to join me.  It turned out to be an absolutely wonderful show.  We had the museum almost to ourselves so we could examine each painting, discuss  how it might have been painted and what we learned from looking at the work.  It was a delightful morning.  When it was over we went outside to the museum picnic table to eat apples, raisins and crackers.  

Clearly, I will be a more regular visitor to the Lyman Allyn Museum.