Main Exhibit

gallery collection exhibit

Main Exhibit & Pocket Show: Gallery Collection

October 1 - October 31 2010

Providence, RI. Bert Gallery, located along the Providence waterfront at Corliss Landing, 540 South Water Street, announces its forthcoming exhibit, Gallery Collection, which will be on view at the gallery from October 1 through 31, 2010. Gallery hours during exhibitions for 2010 are Wednesday through Friday from 11am - 5pm and Saturday 12pm - 4pm, closed on Sunday, by chance Monday and Tuesday. Please call ahead - we are often at the gallery working during off hours! Free parking is available on the street in front of the gallery or in the parking lot across the street. Exhibits are free and open to the public.

Since 1985, Bert Gallery has documented the paintings and stories of Rhode Island artists who worked, created and thrived in Providence for decades beginning in the 19th century. The current exhibit, Gallery Collection, showcases a sampling of the visual artists who crafted the artistic legacy of Rhode Island. Many of these painters are the cornerstones of the state’s artistic heritage and were behind the founding of the institutions that have become the cultural icons of our community today. Providence was alive with artistic fervor as painters pursued their profession in studios across the city, excited about career prospects in a city of wealth and commerce.

Examples of paintings by F. Usher DeVoll (1873 - 1941), Mabel May Woodward (1877 - 1945), Henry Newell Cady (1849 - 1935) and H.A. Dyer (1872 - 1943) are showcased. In their day, these artists painted and exhibited, contributing to the national crusade to bring American aesthetic consciousness to parity with that of Europe. Through diligent work, they developed enough technical craft and artistic proficiency to gain entry into national arenas, including the 1876 Bicentennial Celebration in Philadelphia and the 1893 Columbian Exposition. In present day art circles, many historic Rhode Island artists are recognized for their prominence and merit in museum exhibitions at the Whitney Museum, Corcoran Gallery of Art and National Museum of American Art.

Rhode Island artists painted a wide range of subject matter and styles to express themselves. All struggled to represent new artistic visions — whether it was capturing a transitional time of the season, the daily rhythm of life, or boldly venturing into biblical and classical themes to communicate ethereal truths and ideals. There were even some artists painting the transition from an agrarian community to that of a bustling industrial life in post Civil War America.

Whatever the style or subject matter of choice, local painters all reflect the cultural and social concerns of their era. Subject matters on view in this exhibit range from images of Land and Sea, Figurative, Flowers and Fruit. In addition a selection of Prints and Drawings are exhibited. Prints and Drawings offer an intimate insight into the artist thoughts, observations and decisions about a model or scene and were the foundation of their professional training.

Related Gallery Collection Works: