White Mountain School Exhibit in NH

Last weekend I traveled up to New Hampshire for a show opening at my alma mater,  Holderness School.  The exhibit was really remarkable, an outstanding selection of 19th century White Mountain School paintings, including some work by Gifford, Bierstadt, Kensett, Bricher, and lesser known but equally amazing artists.  Unfortunately I don't have a way of sharing quality images of the entire show, so you'll have to take my word for it or go see for yourself!  As an alum and a member of the Hudson River Fellowship, I was asked to write an essay for the show catalog, which I have published on my personal blog if you're interested in reading it.  If you live in New Hampshire, tune in to NHPR tomorrow night between 5:30 & 6:00 PM to hear a story on this exhibit.  I was blown away by the amount of enthusiasm in the area for this kind of artwork, and my excitement for this summer's Hudson River Fellowship in the White Mountains is now through the roof.  Four more weeks of class at GCA, and then it's time for landscape painting season!

           While I was at the school, I met with an advanced drawing class to talk about how they can do small master copies of these landscape paintings.  I was also thrilled to learn that art teacher Kathryn Field has introduced her students to Bargue drawing and cast drawing!  This is rare to find in a high school art classroom.  It was inspiring to reconnect with the school and see what great work everyone is doing there. Lucky students!   

just a few of the paintings in this exhibit

"Outing on the Lake" by Alfred Thompson Bricher

One of the largest paintings in the exhibit was this one: "Winnipiseogee Lake" by Ferdinand Richardt, 1858

“West of Washington” will be on exhibit at Holderness School’s Edwards Art Gallery from April 20 to May 27. There will be an opening reception on Friday, April 20, from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. The public is invited to attend.

The Holderness School is on Route 175 in Holderness. The Edwards and Heide Galleries are open from 9:00-5:00 Monday-Friday; from 9:00-1:00 on Saturday; and by appointment.

For more information call Franz Nicolay at 779-5387. Franz is also available via email at fnicolay@holderness.org.