and others whose appreciation of the fine arts and literature made them worthy of membership. Soon, the club attracted the elite of California's business and artistic world. The Bohemian Club saw California as a place of new vision, the home of new dreams.

Sacramento's Crocker Museum gives us a feeling for what life was like for the Crocker family, living in their 19th Century palace in Sacramento. They chose to display their growing American and California art collection according to the custom of the times, the European salon style. Looking at their collection in the 21st century, one is tempted to speculate that the intent wasn't to impress guests with the quality of the art, but by the overwhelming amount of it.

Decisions regarding the arrangement of the paintings included quality, but a the painting's size and visual appeal were also considered. The best paintings -- a subjective judgment at best -- were placed "on the line" (meaning eye level). Other paintings were "skyed," requiring a strained neck and superman vision to give them a proper viewing. (We wished we could have had a better view of many of the gems in the top row.)

The impact of floor to ceiling works of art is stunning, but individual works of art have no room to breathe. Any one of these works would command attention in almost any other setting.

The great American painter James McNeil Whistler is credited with developing an alternative to salon style exhibits. He preferred a sparer style, showcasing

paintings hung wide apart on light colored walls, similar to the manner in which most museums and galleries hang paintings today. The Crocker Museum provides a service in showing us the salon style as it was experienced by the wealthy of the 19th century.

But soon, the Crocker will have more space to work with. They are tripling the size of their current exhibition space. Their new addition is nearing

Among the Capitol's collection of historic California paintings are the official gubernatorial portraits. They are displayed throughout the building, and were done by some of the state's best contemporary artists at the time each governor served. All the governors' portraits are available for viewing, except Arnold Schwarzenegger's yet to be unveiled.

Most of the older portraits were done in a rather traditional manner, showing the state's chief executive in a dignified business suit in a formal pose.

Below the rotunda on the basement level are four triptych paintings entitled The History of California 1914, by Arthur Frank Mathews and his wife Lucia Mathews. Each triptych depicts an epoch of California's history. The four epochs are the coming of the white gods; the Spanish occupation and building of missions; the pouring in of civilization following gold discovery, swift industrial development, and the achievements of civilization in California in the present and future. The canvases were originally commissioned by the State Legislature in 1913, for which Arthur and Lucia Mathews were paid $10,000.

The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art removed their collection to the highest parts of its building, rescuing many pieces from their basement. The clean up and restoration of the museum and of the entire community has been the major focus of the last year. To celebrate, the museum is displaying the best of its Grant Wood collection. For those who live near and those passing through, this Iowan community, just 250 miles west of Chicago, is well worth the stop.

In 2002, the museum was given the building containing Grant Wood's studio, where his famed masterpiece American Gothic was painted. The studio is three blocks from the museum, and is where Grant Wood lived between 1824 and 1835. These were the beginning years of the depression. American Gothic was done in 1930, and has become an American icon, ranking along with the Da Vinci's Mona Lisa and Edvard Munch's The Scream as the most parodied paintings ever. It features younger sister Nan 1900-1990 and a Cedar Rapids dentist, Dr. Byron McKeeby (1867-1950). Together with the pitchfork between them and the gothic window behind, they became a symbol of the hard working American Spirit, determined in the face of adversity.

The exhibit, Grant Wood: in Focus, is from the museum's extensive collection. It traces his artistic career from his youth until his passing in 1942, and is an overview of his contributions, achievements, and influence.

• Our gallery's current show, running through August, features the famous painters of early Northern California, including members of the Bohemian Club such as Gordon Coutts, William Ritschel, Meyer Straus, Ransome Holdredge, Charles Graham, Gustave Liljestrom, and James Everett Stuart. Alice Chittenden also exhibited with them.
• The Sonoma Couty Museum in Santa Rosa is exhibiting Bohemian Club member Edwin Deakin. "California Painter of the Picturesque" opens July 3rd and runs through September 20.
  
  The gallery's next show, this Fall, will feature the paintings of those artists who were strongly associated with the movie industry, such as Disney artists Joshua Meador, Bennett Bradbury, and Ralph Hulett, and others such as Jan Domela. This exhibit will be presented in celebration of the upcoming opening of the new Disney Museum in The Presidio, San Francisco.
  
• The new Map of fine arts and arts & crafts galleries in Sonoma County has been issued by the Sonoma County Gallery Group, and is available at galleries, visitors centers, wineries on the Wine Road, and other locations. There are several new galleries of note, and this Map and the www.SCGG.org website is a good way to plan a tour and find out about current exhibits.
  
• Booklets of several of our exhibitions are available. Pick them up at the gallery or send us your mailing address.
  - Painters of the Desert;
  - Regionalist Watercolors;
  - 19th Century Paintings of Northern California;
  - Painters of Carmel (plus other Master Painters of the Sea).
  
• Our Archives page has links to our previous gallery exhibits and monthly newsletters.
  
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