Mission San Juan Capistrano, Landmark, Chapel, Museum and Gardens
San Juan Capistrano, CA
949-234-1300
(left: Mission Entrance; right: Soldiers Barracks, photos ©John Hazeltine 1999. Click on photos for enlargements.)
Go to California
Mission Hosting Art Exhibitions in Spring 2004 (2/19/04), an exhibition
by California artist Donald "Putt" Putnam. The paintings are representational
scenes, many featuring images from the Old West. Putt
Putnam is a former circus clown who later painted sceneries and backdrops
for such well-known MGM films as "Mutiny on the Bounty," "The
Brothers Grimm" and "The Four Horsemen." He has taught at
the prestigious Los Angeles Art Center College of Design, and continues
to teach young artists. His work is featured in galleries across the nation,
and is part of the collections of many celebrities. Recently, he completed
a 72-foot mural-over 1,000 square feet-on San Gabriel's busy West Santa
Anita Avenue, on the side of the Mission Art Center store across the street
from San Gabriel Mission. The mural depicts life in early California, with
scenes of Native Americans, Franciscan padres and Spanish señoritas.
Go to Mabel Alvarez (1891-1985) (10/31/00). Alvarez
was born in Hawaii and relocated to Los Angeles in 1906. In 1915, she enrolled
in Los Angeles' leading art school, the School for Illustration and Painting,
directed by William Vincent Cahill. She became a prolific painter in the
1920's and 30's, with her work being displayed in the most prominent art
galleries in the United States.
Go to The Russian Tradition (10/7/00), an exhibition
featuring the leading Russian artists of the Soviet period, October 10-November
17, 2000. Featured artists include Boris Beltyukov,
Alekesei Gritsai, Popov Igor, Leonid Steele and Vladimir Stozharov.
Go to Marguerite Lyons: Every Day Wonders (3/21/00). an exhibition of watercolors by noted artist Marguerite Lyons.
She has received numerous awards for her work, including being named Best
in Watercolor at the Beverly Hills Affaire in the Gardens, Associate Show
of American Academy of Women Artists and Central Coast Watercolor Society
Membership Show.
Go
to Mission San Juan Capistrano to Host
Fourth Exhibition by Timothy J. Clark (1/26/00 - revised 2/6/00), an
exhibition of watercolor and oil paintings of Mission San Juan Capistrano
and other California missions by internationally acclaimed artist Timothy
J. Clark. Also included in the 20-piece exhibition will be images from Granada,
Spain, which Clark terms "the roots of Mission San Juan Capistrano."
The artist has painted the Capistrano Mission for over 20
years, and is also known for his portraits, interior studies and landscapes
of romantic scenes from locations throughout the world. A Capistrano Beach
resident, he is widely known for his PBS-TV series Focus on Watercolor
(he is the author of a companion book by the same name) and for more than
a decade has taught painting seminars. Clark returns to the Mission for
his fourth show; in 1996, his exhibition of 34 paintings sold out, actually
resulting in the sale of 36 paintings as visitors requested he paint additional
works. (left: Timothy J. Clark, San Juan Capistrano, Serra Chapel,
oil)
Go to Mission
Welcomes Artist Nicolay Paskevich; Launches Art for Preservation Gallery
(1/8/00), an exhibition of watercolor art by Nicolay Paskevich. He frequently
paints objects that are in motion-horseback riders, pianists, jazz musicians,
orchestra conductors and ballet dancers. Paskevich,
92, was born in Riga, Latvia in 1907. At age 10, his father died and he
went to work as a shepherd to help support the family. At this time, he
developed a love for drawing. Since there was a shortage of paper, he drew
on birch bark. Trees were his favorite subject; he especially loved to draw
pine roots that jutted out of the ground. He studied in a variety of art
schools in the newly formed Soviet Union, but was required to paint in the
prevailing styles of the day or risk imprisonment in a concentration camp.
Privately, however, he studied realism, which helped him develop his own
unique style. In 1933, he met his wife, Galina Alfonsovna Dokalskaya, also
an artist. He achieved success and fame in his work in the Soviet Union,
eventually earning the nation's highest award for artists, the Red Banner
Badge (an unheard of honor for a non-Communist). Paskevich was even welcomed
to the Kremlin to dine with Soviet leader Josef Stalin.
Go
to Fiesta Suite:
The Art of Theodore N. Lukits (1897-1992) (12/1/99) a world-class exhibition of the best paintings of famous colorist
Theodore Lukits (1897-1992).
It features many large, colorful portraits of Mexican dancers, vaqueros
and other lively subjects painted in the 1930's. Lukits
was born in Temesvar, Transylvania, and emigrated to the United States with
his family at age two. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and later studied
at the prestigious Art Institute of Chicago. To support his education, Lukits
worked as a jewelry designer and illustrator for such famous publications
as the Saturday Evening Post. (left: Theodore N. Lukits, Contemplation, pastel, 16 1/2 x 22 inches, Lukits
Art Trust)
Go to Sergei
Bongart (1918-1985) at Mission San Juan Capistrano (9/2/99),an exhibition
of the work of Russian-American artist Sergei
Bongart, who was born in the Ukraine, and studied art in his native
city of Kiev, famed for its ancient icons. He also studied and painted in
Prague, Vienna and Munich. In 1948, he emigrated to the U. S. and spent
much time painting in California. Bongart has been
described as "an ardent spirit, a poet, now sensual, now spiritual,
who makes joyful proclamations in paint of his love of life and the world
in which we live, or sorrowful eulogies upon its tragedies." His work
is featured in prominent museums, and has received many awards, including
a Gold Medal from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.
Go to Mission
San Juan Capistrano Hosts Art Competition; Joan Irvine Smith Fine Arts to
Award $10,000 in Cash Prizes (6/3/99). Mission San Juan Capistrano,
Joan Irvine Smith Fine Arts, Inc. and the California Art Club co-sponsoried
the fifth annual Outdoor Professional Painting Competition of professional
artists who will paint impressionist works on-site at Mission San Juan Capistrano
the week of August 16-22, 1999. A panel of distinguished judges will select
the best paintings and award the artists cash prizes totaling $10,000.
Go to Mission
San Juan Capistrano Competition, a The
Plein Air Scene article by Aleta Carpenter who says:" The Sixth
Annual Competition, held August 14-20, 2000, was sponsored by the California Art Club, the Mission, and Joan Irvine Smith
Fine Arts Inc. After painting for a five-day period, competitors selected
two of their best paintings to be judged by Steven Doherty, Editor in Chief
of American Artist Magazine, Scott Atkinson, Curator of
American Arts at the San Diego Museum of Art, and Deborah Solon, Art Historian,
who recently curated an exhibit at the Laguna Art Museum on the art colonies
of Laguna Beach and Connecticut."
Go
to Mission San Juan Capistrano to Present
Art of Alice Nathan and Augustus Dunbier in Upcoming Exhibitions (4/8/99),
revised (6/8/99), presenting exhibitions
by artists Alice Nathan, and Augustus W. Dunbier.
The Dunbier exhibition features California landscape canvasses painted in
pre-war years. Alice Nathan was reared on a working cattle ranch in the
Sierra Mountains of California. Many of her paintings are of American cowboys
of the past and present. Augustus Dunbier (1888-1977) was a prolific oil
painter, known for his colorful landscapes, still life, portraits and figures.
Born in Nebraska, much of Dunbier's work featured Midwestern landscapes
in the impressionist style, although he painted throughout the United States,
Mexico and Europe. (left: Augustus Dunbier, Self Portrait,
34 x 26 inches)
Go to A Harvest of Devotions: The Farming Heritage Paintings of Aaron
F. St. John (3/19/99).
Mission San Juan Capistrano presents A Harvest of Devotions: The Farming
Heritage Paintings of Aaron F. St. John. He is
an Artist Member and Chairman of the San Diego Regional Chapter of the California Art Club, and has participated annually
in the CAC's California Art Club Outdoor Painting Festival sponsored at
the Mission by Joan Irvine Smith Fine Arts Inc.. One of his festival paintings
entered Mrs. Smith's private collection, and the show will also feature
a few paintings of the Mission itself.
Go to Timothy
J. Clark: California Missions (2/12/99), an exhibition of watercolor
and oil paintings of the California missions, from Sonoma to San Diego,
by internationally acclaimed artist Timothy J. Clark. The exhibition was
inspired in part by the architecture of Granada, Spain -- from locations
suggested to Clark by officials of the Spanish Government -- which Clark
terms "the roots of Mission San Juan Capistrano." Clark has devoted
the last three years of his life to traveling through California and Spain
to paint the 35-piece exhibition. The artist has painted the Capistrano
Mission for over 20 years. He returns to the Mission
for his third show.
Go to 4th
Annual Mission Outdoor Painting Festival (1998). Mission San Juan Capistrano
presents a plein air event held on the Mission grounds. California
Art Club President Peter Adams stated, "This competition is a significant
event. It not only expresses our deep-felt reverence for Califomia's unique
heritage, but also allows our artists the opportunity to paint together
in comradeship among magnificent surroundings."
Go to John Stobart;
essay by Jim Graves (9/16/97). Mission San Juan Capistrano presents A
Developing Nation: Ports & Harbors Coast to Coast, the Art of John Stobart.
Inspired by tradition, John Stobart serves as our historian
and guide to life along the water. To the viewer, it seems as though Stobart
stood a century ago along the ports and harbors he recreates for us. We
can almost feel the effects of the weather and time of day and we learn
about our history and our heritage through wonderfully descriptive narratives
that have been compared to stories by Mark Twain and Joseph Conrad.
Go to Tom
K. Enman: Southern California Impressionist, article by John Hazeltine
(5/97). Mission San Juan Capistrano presents Tom K. Enman: Southern California
Impressionist. Tom was born in Salt Lake City in 1928. In 1952 he was
awarded certification by the prestigious Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. He
has had numerous gallery and museum shows over his distinguished career
including exhibitions at the Huntington Library, Monterey Peninsula Museum
of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Redfern Gallery, and many more.
He served as director of the Artists Guild in Laguna Beach in 1964-65, and
became founding director of the Laguna Beach Museum of Art in 1965, serving
through 1980.
Go to Karl
Dempwolf (1997). Mission San Juan Capistrano presents an exhibition
of California coastal and landscapes by German impressionist artist Karl
Dempwolf, member of the California Art Club, whose work has won awards from
such prestigious organizations as the National Park Academy of the Arts,
the Oil Painters of America, Art of California agazine and the 11th Annual
Assembly of the Arts, sponsored by the Ventura County Museum of History
and Art. Dempwolf's work can be found in prominent fine arts galleries throughout
the state.
Mission San Juan Capistrano's influence in California art history:
Go
to Resource Library's 1997 essay by Gerald J. Miller, Mission San Juan Capistrano: An Artistic Legacy,
which provides details about early California Impressionist painters' involvement
with the Mission. It also lists paintings by historic artists in the Mission's
collection as of the date of the essay's publication. Also see from Traditional Fine Arts Organization (TFAO)'s catalog
Topics in American Art the topic California Art History, with more articles and essays
citing California Missions.
Fine art exhibits program at the Mission
In 1995 a fine art exhibition program was initiated at the Mission. John Hazeltine's article Tom K. Enman: Southern California Impressionist explains why and how the exhibits began. Exhibits were initially held in West Wing gallery rooms alongside the central courtyard opposite Serra Chapel. In the Fall of 1999, the Mission began presenting exhibits in the historic Soldiers Barracks -- also one of the Mission's oldest buildings -- built in 1791. As of January, 2014 an exhibit of replicas of historic paintings of Mission San Juan Capistrano is on display in the Soldiers Barracks. The original paintings from which the replicas were made are from the collection of the Irvine Museum. (left: Side Entrance to Soldiers Barracks Gallery, 1999, photo © John Hazeltine. Click on photo for enlargement.)
To reach Mission San Juan Capistrano, take Interstate 5 to the Ortega Highway exit to San Juan Capistrano. Mission address: 31522 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92693 (Ortega at Camino Capistrano).
Orange County, California is blessed with three museums dedicated to California art. The Hilbert Museum of California Art, in the City of Orange, and Mission San Juan Capistrano, Landmark, Chapel, Museum and Gardens, in the City of San Juan Capistrano, are connected by a 35 minute train ride between Metrolink stations. Both museums are within a one block walking distance from their respective stations. By auto, they are 1/2 hour apart. The UCI Institute and Museum of California Art, in the City of Irvine, is available by auto 15 minutes from the Hilbert Museum and 20 minutes from Mission San Juan Capistrano.
For hours and admission fees please see the Mission's website.
Above: William Henry von Herwig, Old Mission,
1924, oil on burlap, 34 x 30 inches. Private Collection.
Baptismal font is shown temporarily relocated from present location while conservation underway in Serra Chapel.
Above: Hyatt Moore, Mission Shadows, Mission San Juan Capistrano),
c.1999-2000, oil on canvas, 24 x 24 imches. Private Collection.
This view is of the south wing of the Mission. It was shown at an art exhibit held in the Mission's soldiers barracks.
TFAO also suggests from Chapman University's Huell Howser Archive, free for public viewing:
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO - ROAD TRIP WITH HUELL HOWSER
ART
OF THE MISSIONS- CALIFORNIA MISSIONS
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