The Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Chief Curator, Art and Education Alicia Longwell.

Southampton - A veritable treasure trove of artistic gems covering a broad spectrum of landscape painting from the collection of the Parrish Art Museum was unveiled on Saturday, September 26 at The Parrish. The collection traces the progression of American landscape painting from the Hudson River School to the American Impressionists to the abstract and contemporary painters.

From stunning iconic vistas to intimate backyard scenes, American Landscapes: Treasures from the Parrish Art Museum is both an informative exhibition as well as a visual delight. Additionally, viewers finally have a chance to understand and appreciate The Museum's precious holdings, especially when it comes to the major painters of the East End. While The Parrish has long been known for its impressive collection of landscape works, few understand just how rich an array it is. Museum Executive Director Terrie Sultan wasn't kidding when observing the response of the huge crowd, she softly said, "Nobody knows what we have."

Now they certainly will with this show - a treasure indeed with some 50 works ranging from William Merritt Chase and Childe Hassam to Jane Wilson and April Gornik. The exhibit covers over 160 years from Thomas Birch's "Fishing Boats" done around 1820 right up to Jennifer Bartlett's 1985 painting "At Sands Point."

Artist April Gornik and Jennifer Barnett.

On opening night Alicia Longwell, The Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Chief Curator, Art and Education at The Museum and curator of this exhibition led the first nighters through the galleries and provided viewers with an understanding of the changes that defined the different styles throughout the two centuries represented.

Longwell began her gallery walk with a brief discussion of the Hudson River School painters and moved on to the post-Civil War painters so familiar to East Enders - William Merritt Chase, John Henry Twachtman and Childe Hassam. Longwell spoke at length about the influence of Europe on these painters. At the time, any painter who considered himself a painter simply must pay a visit to the Continent where Plein Air painting was very much in vogue.

Upon his return, Merritt Chase was invited to the East End by a group of well-to-do ladies, "These civic minded ladies felt it might be a draw for tourists "if outdoor painting was available. The result was the construction of The Art Village in Southampton where Merritt Chase who was given a home in nearby Shinnecock Hills and came and taught in the warmer months of summer and early fall. Hence, the beginning of the Plein Air painting movement on the East End which is continued to this very day by such prominent artists as Gordon Matheson, Casey Chalem Anderson, Terry Elkins, Aubrey Grainger and Gail Kern, as well as photographers like Tom Steele, among others who work with the Peconic Land Trust.

Artists Jane Wilson and John Jonas Gruen.

Pointing to Twachtman's majestic painting of Niagara Falls, Longwell explained the painter's feeling, saying Twachtman thought "It was a test of your mettle if you could paint the Falls" something that was so iconic to Americans.

Moving on Longwell spoke about the various artists colonies on thee Northeastern seaboard most notably those on Cape Cod, Stonington, Connecticut and of course the East End. Referencing a painting by Hassam of the Presbyterian Church, she noted except for its name "Church at Old Lyme" it would be immediately mistaken for the old Presbyterian church in Bridgehampton - such was the similarity of the coastal towns.

Included in the show are works by two well-known Eastern artists Grandma Moses and Fairfield Porter who looked no further than their own yards and nearby streets for inspiration. Longwell told the listener that Grandma Moses said, "I always wanted to paint but I didn't have the time until I was 76." Considering the prodigious amount of work she left behind, one can only imagine what there would be if she had started 50 years earlier like many of her contemporaries.

"Backyard" by artist Fairfield Porter.

Southampton and the Parrish in particular have a special place in their heart for Fairfield Porter. Although he loved Maine, he always returned to Southampton to his South Main Street house and studio where he was close to the ocean he loved so much. Visitors to Southampton who come to the Museum often inquire "Where are the Porters" and now the staff can point proudly into the galleries.

Moving though to a gallery where April Gornik's massive "Light Before Heat" dominated the space, Longwell explained the way in which artists frame a particular view. "April really framed the landscape she saw and gives us a new way to look at it".

Following the gallery walk/talk there was a spirited and lively panel discussion with Terrie Sultan, Will Cotton, April Gornik, Alicia Longwell and in the main hall which was so packed that security turned away at least another 100 people lest the Fire Marshals come knocking.

Terrie Sultan of The Parrish Art Museum and Martha McClanahan.

A highlight of the evening happened during the reception when artist Jane Wilsonwhose painting "Trees at Mecox" is featured prominently in the exhibition signed copies of her gorgeous new book "Jane Wilson: Horizons" recently published by Merrell Publishers, London. This is the first comprehensive monograph on the artist's work and life and includes essays by Elisabeth Sussman, Curator and Sondra Gilman, Curator of Photography at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and magnificent reproductions of over 90 of her paintings, and numerous photographs of the artist's family and friends. Her husband - the acclaimed photographer John Jonas Gruen - was by her side throughout the evening. The octogenarian continues to paint her seascapes and captures the many moods of the weather on the East End she has called home for over half a century.

This extraordinary show only makes the viewer want the curators to dig further in the vaults and share more of these remarkable treasures from what is clearly an amazing collection.

American Landscapes: Treasures from the Parrish Art Museum will run through November 20 at The Parrish, 25 Jobs Lane Southampton.