The Crowd: The artists who captured California

Inasmuch as the artistic style of Andrew Wyeth is indigenous to coastal New England, Paul Gauguin to Tahiti, and Pablo Picasso to Spain and the European Riviera, the California plein air masters, from the pioneers of the 19th and early 20th century to the contemporary artists that are part of the 21st century Laguna Confederation, are recognized as specifically inspired by the sage-covered hills meeting the expansive Pacific Ocean on the Southern California rim.

Recently, a nod to the plein air school unfolded at the respected Irvine Museum with the 2015 opening of an exhibit titled “California: This Golden Land of Promise.” A champagne reception launched the exhibit Jan. 29 in the museum. Some 200 guests were welcomed and greeted by executive director Jean Stern, joining museum president James Swinden, son of the descendent of Irvine family pioneer Joan Irvine Smith. Swinden’s wife, Madeline Martin Swinden, one of the O.C.’s leading ladies of culture and philanthropy, was front and center for the evening, which introduced the exhibit to the community. “This Golden Land of Promise” will be on display through May 21 and includes many historical paintings and etchings, some quite rare and not frequently exhibited.

VIP guests in the crowd included Julie Padach-Mathewson, Curtis Mathewson, Mark and Yvonne Morton, Robyn and John Fuchs, Deborah McKenna, Kathy Winton, Signe Radovich and Lisa Hillgren. Also attending were Gavin Herbert III, Whitney Herbert, Kerry Herbert, Gavin Herbert Jr., June van den Noort, Delores Grunigan, Mark and Jan Hilbert and Mark Kauffman.

The focus of the exhibition is a revealing visual presentation of California history as it relates to the historical missions. Works on display include depictions of mission life as old as 1883 through 1886. The earliest of these works comes from artist Henry Chapman Ford (1828-1894). His mission etchings were published in 1883. Also on display is a painting by Alexander Harmer (1856-1925). The work is dated 1886 and reveals a look at the courtyard of Mission San Juan Capistrano.

Today, the Mission San Juan Capistrano courtyard is a lush garden setting. Harmer’s painting depicts a dry and dusty space with only a few geraniums growing against the pillars of this courtyard.

History buffs as well as plein air art students are aware of the background bringing the missions and artists together. Briefly, the first missions were established in California by Spain in 1769. The land, the missions and its control transferred to Mexico and finally to the United States when California became the 31st state of the Union in 1850.

By this time, many of the missions were abandoned and in ruins. President Lincoln, through executive order, returned the properties to the Catholic Church. Some 40 years later, by 1890, local artists began featuring the relics of early California history in their work, helping to launch a serious effort of preservation, which continues to this day.

The Irvine Museum has previously published two fully illustrated books that support the four-month long exhibition. The first book is titled “Romance of the Bells: The California Missions in Art,” published in 1995. The second book, the inspiration for the name of the exhibit, is titled, “California: This Golden Land of Promise.”

The Irvine Museum is at 18881 Von Karman Ave., Suite 100, Irvine. Its hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and admission is free, no reservation required. Docent-led tours for groups of 10 or more may be arranged by appointment. Please call the museum curator of education at (949) 476-0294 or visit https://www.irvinemuseum.org for more information.

THE CROWD runs Fridays. B.W. Cook is editor of the Bay Window, the official publication of the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach.