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Highlighting important works of art from the Museum’s collection depicting scenery from California beaches, mountains, and deserts, as well as local artists’ depictions of other locations, Of Sea and Sand: California Paintings invites viewers to consider the beautiful views that surround us. These California paintings, featuring loose brushwork and attention to changing light, convey a moment in time while paradoxically also evoking a feeling of timelessness with images of an enduring yet ever-changing landscape.

The remarkable geography of California has been a continual source of inspiration for artists, many of whom worked in an impressionistic or post-impressionistic style. These movements originated in Paris in the late 19th century to early 20th century, and also in the southern French regions of Provence and the Côte d’Azur on the Mediterranean, with warmer climates and stronger light, and where the topography, including pines and cliffs overlooking the sea, is remarkably similar to that of Southern California.

Some of the locations may be familiar, and all invite us to question and explore our own relationship to nature and our surrounding environment.

The works on view will rotate from time to time to feature different works and artists.

Read the Of Sea and Sand: California Paintings full exhibition label text in English and Spanish.

Featured Works

In the Canyon

by Alfred Richard Mitchell

Alfred Richard Mitchell
American 1888–1972
In the Canyon, undated
Oil on canvas
Bequest of Maurice and Jacqueline Watson, 2010.33

Mitchell created evocative views of the geography of San Diego using stark contrasts of dark and light, as well as capturing subtle nuances of light at different times of day. Usually devoid of people, the empty canyons are a source of stillness, quiet contemplation and timelessness.

La Jolla Cove

by Alfred Richard Mitchell

Alfred Richard Mitchell
American 1888-1972
La Jolla Cove, ca. 1950
Oil on canvas
Gift of the artist, 1965.26

After earning a silver medal at the Panama–California Exposition in 1915, Mitchell studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, where he won a travel scholarship to England, France, and Italy. Returning to San Diego, he became a pivotal figure in the local arts community; he was a member of the Contemporary Artists of San Diego, a group that also included Maurice Braun, Arthur Fries, and Charles Reiffel. Mitchell also assisted in the formation of the La Jolla Arts Association in 1918, and was an advocate for arts education and taught at local city and county schools. As President of the San Diego Art Guild (now San Diego Artist’s Guild), Mitchell was a signatory on the documents creating this museum in 1925.

Untitled (Landscape)

by Maurice Braun

Maurice Braun
American (born Hungary) 1877–1941
Untitled (Landscape), undated
Oil on canvas
Bequest of Helene Ruth Dryer, 1976.298

Braun, a native of Hungary, immigrated to New York with his parents when he
was four. After completing the course of instruction at the National Academy of Design, he went on to study for another year with William Merritt Chase, one of the leading painters in the United States. Braun built a successful career as a painter in New York before moving to Southern California in 1909. He settled in San Diego
where he quickly embraced the beautiful vistas of the coast and the backcountry.
Braun became an influential teacher with his creation of the San Diego Academy
of Art in 1910, and was a founding member of both the San Diego Art Guild and
the Contemporary Artists of San Diego.

Torrey Pines

by Nicolai Ivanovich Fechin

Nicolai Ivanovich Fechin
American (born Russia) 1881–1955
Torrey Pines, ca. 1925
Oil on canvas
Gift of Wilda B. Dunnicliffe, by exchange, 1998.87

Nicolai Fechin was already an established artist in Russia, having trained at the Imperial Academy of Art in Saint Petersburg before arriving in the United States in 1923. Torrey Pines was likely painted in 1925 on a visit to Southern California, before he moved permanently here from Taos in 1933. Rather than depict the sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean, Fechin focuses on the chaparral and light-struck sandstone cliffs, rendering them with rigorous and heavy strokes.

Fisherman’s Cove, Laguna Beach

by Guy Orlando Rose

Guy Orlando Rose
American 1867–1925
Fisherman’s Cove, Laguna Beach, 1914–21
Oil on canvas
Gift of Mrs. Charles Granger Blanden, 1934.80

Born in San Gabriel on his father’s ranch, Rose studied at the California School of Design (now San Francisco Art Institute). He left for Paris in 1888, and soon joined the international artist colony in Giverny, home of Claude Monet. When Rose returned to California several years later in 1914, he was drawn to the scenery of La Jolla, Laguna Beach, and Carmel, painting the sun-drenched vistas in a vigorous and loose impressionistic style. Rose’s experience in France and his passion for the local scenery made him a central figure in the movement of California Impressionism.

Desert from Vallecitos Point, Laguna Mountain Resort

by Charles Arthur Fries

Charles Arthur Fries
American 1854–1940
Desert from Vallecitos Point, Laguna Mountain Resort, 1928
Oil on canvas
Gift of the San Diego Art Association, 1928.83

Charles Fries studied with Frank Duveneck at the Cincinnati Art Academy. After working in New York and traveling in Europe, Fries moved to California, and was deeply inspired by the local landscape. He initially lived in San Juan Capistrano, where he stayed in the mission, and eventually settled in San Diego in 1897. Desert from Vallecitos Point, Laguna Mountain Resort demonstrates the artist’s interest in combining softer pastel hues with rapid brushwork.

Morning, Nogales, Arizona

by Charles Reiffel

Charles Reiffel
American 1862–1942
Morning, Nogales, Arizona, 1928
Oil on canvas
Museum purchase, 1943.29

Reiffel’s work was nationally recognized during his lifetime, and included in annual exhibitions at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, DC, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. Reiffel regarded this painting as one of his most important works. It portrays Nogales, Arizona, a town on the border between the Unites States and Mexico, which he visited with his wife in 1928. This is a departure from his typical views of eastern San Diego, where he lived in the mountains near Julian. Reiffel’s swirling impasto and rich color lends a unique dynamism to his compositions, in opposition to the quiet stillness and timelessness found in the works of his contemporaries Alfred Mitchell and Maurice Braun.

Other Exhibitions On View

Visible Vaults

On View

Arts of South and Southeast Asia

On View

Arts of Iran

On View

German Expressionism

Now through April 28, 2024

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