Hidden in Plain Sight: Northwest Impressionism, 1910-1935

Abstract

Northwest Impressionist artists are among the forgotten figures in American art history. Responsible for bringing Modernism to Washington and Oregon, they dominated the art communities in Seattle and Portland from about 1910 to 1928, remaining influential until the mid 1930's. Six important artists who have not been studied elsewhere are each accorded a chapter that summarizes their educations, careers, and artistic developments: Paul Gustin, Edgar Forkner, and Dorothy Dolph Jensen in Seattle, and Charles McKim, Clyde Keller, and Clara J. Stephens in Portland. Their iconography of tall mountains and decrepit sailing ships is explored, and their work is compared to American Impressionists in California and elsewhere. The quality and originality of their art is made evident.