Gratz Gallery’s “The Beauty of Bucks County,” an exhibition of Pennsylvania Impressionism inspired by preservation efforts of the land, the history, and the cultural heritage of Bucks County, opens to the public Oct. 6.
The opening follows an invitational celebration to honor community members and members of Heritage Conservancy, to which a portion of the show proceeds will be donated.
Painter William Lathrop came to Bucks County in 1889 and founded an artist colony that would later be known as the New Hope School of Pennsylvania Impressionism.
Bucks County attracted artists from far and wide. Painters like Henry Snell, Edward Redfield, Daniel Garber, George Sotter, John Folinsbee, Harry Leith-Ross, Antonio Martino, Fern Coppedge, Rae Sloan Bredin, Kenneth Nunamaker, Walter Baum and many more came to paint, to settle, and to contribute to the evolution of Bucks County’s thriving artistic and intellectual culture, which remains vibrant.
The conservancy’s dedication to the protection of significant open spaces, natural resources and historic heritage has resulted in the preservation of nearly 15,000 acres of open space, farmland, wildlife habitat and important watershed areas in Bucks and Montgomery counties.
It seemed like a natural choice to the gallery to partner with Heritage Conservancy in this special exhibition and dedicate a portion of the proceeds to its mission.
After all, it was the abundance of open space, the brightly colored barns and houses, the bucolic scenery and endless vistas that caught the attention and inspired so many artists to come to Bucks County in the first place.
To accompany the exhibition, Gratz Gallery introduces the publication of “Artists of Bucks County Timeline – Early Impressionist Period.”
The poster-sized historic time-line records the arrival dates of the early and most influential Pennsylvania Impressionists to Bucks County, following the arrival of Lathrop in 1889. The testimonial time-line was created by Gratz Gallery to share with the community of art and history enthusiasts, and to contribute to the preservation of Bucks County’s cultural heritage.
Gratz Gallery is located at 5230 Silo Hill Road, Doylestown. Visit online for information.
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