Paintings depicting reflections in water are far different than mirrored reflections. When you think about it, the same subject is rendered twice, but in totally different ways.

For example, a boat on water is an appealing scene. The boat itself is pictured in the naturally occurring light, in fully lighted colors conditioned by the atmosphere, light angle and intensity.

But, when that same boat is shown as it is reflected in the surrounding water, hues are subdued, as the image merges with the rhythms of dancing ripples, creating an echoed shimmering vision of the original object.

One of the real treats of this exhibition were three large paintings by Gustave Caillebotte. His work in Paris included many interior scenes often including portraiture with his family serving as models. His paintings of the city capture the staccato urban life, with angular lines of architecture punctuated with busy figures in formal dress.

In dramatic contrast, his country paintings with water are reminiscent of Renoir's impressionistic style, capturing the tranquility of the country. He enjoyed creating leisurely water scenes, often of his family and friends engaged in boating, fishing or swimming.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir was one of the key artists responsible for the development of impressionism. He is known for vibrancy of color and focus on subjects in private and unobserved moments. His Dance at the Le Moulin de la Galette shows figures at an outdoor dance, in mottled sunlight and shadow.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, La Seine à Argenteuil

In the late 1860's, Renoir and his friend Claude Monet practiced painting outdoor light and water. Monet professed that shadow is not brown or black, but the reflected color of the object reflected. Today, we know this effect as "diffuse reflection." With shadows, the reflected light bounces off in different angles, causing the reflected light to be less intense than the light seen coming directly from the object itself.

Claude Monet founded French Impressionist painting and defined the movement with both his paintings and artistic philosophy. He is especially beloved for his belief that artists should paint their perception of nature while painting en plein air. As a young art student, Monet didn't like formalized

The Impressionists on the Water exhibition at the Legion of Honor includes over 80 paintings from a long list of notable impressionist and post impressionist artists. The exhibition runs through October 11. Make plans to visit soon.

James Gale Tyler
Sailboat nocturne,
18 x 14
1855-1931

Bodega Bay Heritage Gallery has its own celebration of Impressionists on the Water. Harbors, Boats and Reflections on the Water. The paintings pictured here are among those on exhibit. Click the individual photos to view larger photos and information about each painting.

The two paintings to the left are by James Gale Tyler, a marine artist who painted every America's Cup Race from 1900 to 1930. His illustrations of the race were published in Harpers, Literary Digest and Century Magazines. His paintings are currently at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington and the Yale University Library.

(click on photos to visit individual pages for each painting)

Just a year after the Gold Rush in 1850, the nation began planning a railroad to California. But planning was interrupted by the Civil War, and construction was not completed until 1869.

Construction was a monumental effort. Track was laid westward by the Central Pacific railroad, and from the west the Union Pacific laid track eastward from Sacramento, traversing the treacherous high Sierra, a staggering engineering challenge requiring bridges, tunnels and huge amounts of lowly paid Chinese immigrant labor exposed to exceptionally dangerous tasks with little regard to occupational safety.

The driving of the Golden Spike joining the completed eastern and western portions of laid track took place in Promontory Summit, Utah on May 10, 1869.

A. J. Russell was an experienced Civil War photographer. Getting photographic delicate equipment to battlefields was a cumbersome and problematic task. But Russell met that challenge, and his experience allowed him to head for the wilds of the Utah Territory to capture this historic scene. East and West were joined with the driving of the Golden Spike, and Russell's photograph captured the real scene, with celebration and drinking.

Leland Stanford served as President of the Union Pacific Railroad, and he wanted the story of the driving of the Golden Spike to be preserved for posterity. For him, the photograph by A. J. Russell was insufficient.

Six years after the completion of the railroad, Stanford commissioned Thomas Hill to create a large painting of the event. He was charged with producing a painting documenting the important people in attendance. Central to the festivities is Stanford, larger than life, holding the sledge hammer, surrounded by formally dressed gentlemen. The reason the painting took six years is Stanford would instruct Hill to add or subtract individuals or move them within the scene. Stanford liked the final painting, but his prominence in the center of the scene and the absence of the thousands of laborers who actually built the railroad speaks volumes.

If it weren't for films, magazine archives, and paintings, once familiar brands of the past might be forgotten. But painters like Joshua Meador have helped preserve an era by including the familiar names, buildings and places of their day.

From 1936 until 1965, Joshua Meador was Director of Animated Effects for the Walt Disney Studios. During some of those years, Josh was a regular visitor to Bodega Bay. He would drive north from Los Angeles with his wife Libby and son Philip in their wood-paneled station wagon pulling their teardrop trailer. Once in Sonoma County, Josh busied himself with his greatest love, plein air painting. He painted breaking waves and rocky coasts, harbor scenes, coastal farm scenes and among our collection, we have Sonoma County scenes of Duncans Mills, the town of Bodega, and Sonoma Square.

Philip recalled that these were special times for Josh and Libby, and their love of the Coast lead them to open a gallery in Carmel Highlands and later build their sea-cliff dream house, studio and gallery in Caspar, just north of Mendocino.

Like all good campers, we're certain Joshua Meador had to replenish supplies, and was probably a customer at Diekman's and Aiken's Grocery grocery stores. Above are photos of Aiken's Grocery much as it would have appeared when Josh visited Bodega Bay, and the same building today, home of Candy and Kites. From our perspective, it would have been nice if an artist had produced a painting of Aiken's Grocery back in the day with busy locals coming and going. But back then, no one seems to have had such a thought -- it was just the place to go to buy a quart of milk, a dozen eggs and a pound of coffee.

In a similar fashion, another of our gallery's paintings by artist Elmer Stanhope captures a rather utilitarian scene of the Palladinis Fish Company. (Palladini's was next to Meredith Fish Co. in Noyo Harbor.)

I doubt if Joshua Meador or Elmer Stanhope considered that they were preserving an echo of history for the ages. But for us looking back, we are glad they did, and the richer we are for their efforts. Below are some of Joshua Meador's scenes done in Sonoma County, preserving for us all how it once was.