Floridian-Scapes — conversation with Deborah Pollack and Catherine Lowe exploring paintings that feature authentic landscapes of Florida. Included in the discussion are works by artists such as, A.E. Backus and the Florida Highwaymen, Hermann Herzog, Lupe Lawrence, Lee Mainella, Jane Peterson, Laura Woodward and others. Serenity is celebrated in these artists’ works against a dichotomy of the cultivated and the rugged, natural terrain of the peninsula.
Artists were inspired by green palms, red hibiscus, vermilion royal poinciana and pink skies — capturing the naturally occurring colors of Floridian landscapes before the early 1900s. Later, the ‘Scape’ had become a ‘fantasy quilt’ of lush green tropic themes mixed with reproductions of Euro luxury coastline to appeal to outsiders. Meanwhile, the marshy lands of Florida, sometimes referred to as, ‘the glades’ with its bubbling, burps and sometimes sulfur smells, along with ‘scrub lands’ found on coastal and inland sand ridges, provided a different narrative. This story revealed native Florida — neutral, ochre and verdant hues of the peninsula’s sub-tropical environment with calming and soothing winter temperatures, dry and wet seasons with summer rains and the presence of native birds, plants and wildlife within an organic and self-sustaining environment of intrinsic value.
Please join us for this discussion in appreciation of the art of Floridian-Scapes in January of 2025 (details to be announced).