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Spotlight : Riffe Gallery - Midwestern Visions of Impressionism: 1890 - 1930
 
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July 31 - October 18, 2008

Curated by Christine Fowler Shearer, Massillon Museum

Midwestern Visions of Impressionism: 1890 - 1930 takes a fresh look the American Impressionism movement through the paintings of 31 artists born or raised in the Midwest and working between 1890 and 1930. In addition to bringing attention to the often overlooked talent of Ohio, Illinois and Indiana; Midwestern Visions of Impressionism explores where these artists fit within the larger context of American Impressionism and how their regions informed their painting.

"One way Americans became acquainted with Impressionism was through the many artists who studied abroad," said exhibition curator Christine Fowler Shearer.

"These artists, many of whom were from the Midwest, studied academic art in places such as Paris and Munich, while also being exposed to the nonacademic traditions in these cities. As their styles evolved, they incorporated this exposure into their artwork, resulting in a form of Impressionism that combined academic style with Impressionist color palettes and brush strokes.

"In America, Impressionism offered a counterpoint to the academic art traditions and the opportunity to establish a new artistic voice for Americans. Midwestern landscape painters were able to embrace their native settings through the Impressionistic technique," said Shearer, who is the executive director of the Massillon Museum.

Featured artists: John Ottis Adams, George Adomeit, George Ames Aldrich, May Ames, Otto H. Bacher, L. Clarence Ball, Karl Albert Buehr, V.J. Cariani, William Clusmann, Frank Virgil Dudley, Maude Eggemeyer, William J. Forsyth, Alexis Jean Fournier, Marie Goth, Frederick Gottwald, Carl Graf, Louis Oscar Griffith, LucieHartrath, Emil Jacques, Karl Kappes, Lewis Henry Meakin, Pauline Palmer, Louis Ritman, Ada Walter Shulz, Adolph Shulz, Otto Stark, Theodore Clement Steele, John Henry Twachtman, Will Vawter, Abel Warshawsky, and Edward K. Williams
July 31, 2008