Summer Haunts
July 5 – August 26, 2005
During the summer months Bert Gallery will be featuring artists who have sought refuge in the mountains, among the country fields and along the shore for their warm season painting in the exhibit, Summer Haunts. Among the favorite retreat images on view are Provincetown, Newport and Belgrade Lake in Maine. The three major artists spotlighted are Edgar Corbridge, Florence Leif and Gordon Peers. The exhibit can be viewed Tuesday through Friday, from 11 – 5 and Saturday 12 – 4pm. The gallery is closed Sunday and Monday but open for Gallery Night Providence from 5 – 9pm during the evenings of July 21st and August 18th.
Don’t miss a special lecture by Peter Corbridge, son of artist Edgar Corbridge, at 7pm on the July 21st Gallery Night. Peter’s talk, “Hanging around with Edgar: Provincetown Memories,” highlights a young son’s meandering through artist studios and lofts in the early 1950s in Provincetown.
For Edgar Corbridge (1901-1988), the outskirts of Provincetown was a place of solitude to study his natural surroundings. His precise lines, clean edges, and bold washes in watercolor depict unpopulated, quiet landscapes often backed by a tranquil bay. His compositions range from views of the farmland to boats in the harbor to cottages along a country road.
When not teaching at RISD, Gordon Peers (1909-1988) often visited the coasts of Newport and Provincetown where he captured the calmness of the bay as well as the turbulent sea using his shards of color. His images of the coast not only transport the viewer to these locations, but also reveal the artist’s a longing for solitude and a desire to be immersed in nature.
Florence Leif (1913 -1968), also known for her dramatic colors, found Provincetown a rich subject for studying landscape. Married to Gordon Peers, the couple would often spend the summer in a home in Truro. See a selection of her paintings along with other artists such as Kate Huntington, Lee Dimeo, Eliza Gardiner (1871-1955), James Herbert (1898 – 1970), and Sydney Burleigh (1853 - 1931).
View the harbors, towns, and coastlines that still draw generations of artists every summer – some recognizable locations, others remote. Whether the landscape is captured with bold brushstrokes or a delicate touch, these paintings are records of the artist’s desire to seek refuge in nature, deeply inhabit their environment and transport the viewer along with them. For more information call 401-751-2628. The exhibit is free and open to the public.
