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Dusk to Dawn: Painting the Edges of Night
June 15 - July 28, 2007
Opening reception: Friday, June 15, 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe
1011 Paseo de Peralta
Santa Fe, NM 87501
TEL 505.954.5700 FAX 505.954.5754
Hours: Monday-Saturday 10am - 5pm
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For further information contact:
Peter Riess
Director of Western Art
(505) 954-5771
priess@gpgallery.com
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The artists represented here had roots in the east and an eye on the west, their varied journeys providing exposure to awe-inspiring scenery, wide-open vistas, vivid juxtapositions of fresh colors, and most importantly, pristine and unencumbered light. Compelled to depict the rapidly changing effects of light during the transitory moments of the day, the artists set upon a challenging task. The first warm rays of the sun begin to illuminate the mesa at dawn in Leigh’s "Hopi Woman at Sunrise" and the buttes and cliffs in Jonson’s "First Morning". The light so infused the landscape surrounding them that their palettes of vivid blues, purples, and pinks sometimes did and may still seem artificial to people who have not seen these majestic western hues for themselves.
Generations of artists have also been inspired to paint nocturnes, capturing how moonlight, flickering campfires, glowing torches, and illuminated windows offered a sheltering respite from the vastness of the encompassing darkness. The various figures depicted in Bierstadt’s "Night Camp", Catlin’s "Spearfishing", Johnson’s "Pioneers", and Eastman’s "Indian Encampment" are both held and revealed by the light. Each work captures a brief moment, part of a bygone era, which allows us to admire each artist’s ability to capture the fleeting and unique effect of light at that exact moment in time.
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