The California Style: California Watercolor Artists 1925-1955

Rating:
Summary: WET DREAMS
Review: THE CALIFORNIA STYLE is an absolutely gorgeous book that I wouldn't even dream of giving less than 5 Stars to!

There is a small 2-shelf bookcase that sits next to my bed and it holds my irreplaceable treasures, condensed into one space so that they could all be gathered quickly in the event of some "disaster." Here you find my BIBLE; my 1st edition copy of Mark Twain's ROUGHING IT; WORKS OF HENRY DAVID THOREAU, given to me by a friend only a few years before he was killed by a car thief attempting to outrun the police. Here is the greatest American novel, A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN, a birthday gift from my parents; the autobiography of my idol, the Norwegian, counter-revolutionary General, Yoey O'Dogherty; and all of my old sketch books; and my unpublished writings (which incidentally, only outnumber my published writings 303 to 0.) And here you'll find. . .THE CALIFORNIA STYLE!

I discovered THE CALIFORNIA STYLE in the UCLA bookstore when I worked on the campus in the late 1980's and I was immediately captivated by it. I went back to look through it time after time. I'd visit it before reporting to work and again during my dinner break. Day after day this went on. After a week, I heard that belligerent voice in my head that so often got me into trouble, and the voice said, {"Wassamotta U, Stephen, ya knucklehead, ya? G'wan an' buy da damn book awready! Gid id over wid, will ya?!"} So I did, and I've never regretted it. It was the first and only time that the voice gave me good advice. How many times I've escaped into the pages of this book, sucked into a rich kaleidoscope of places, activities, fantasies and the mysteries of other times and worlds!

The title is a bit of a misnomer in that there is no real stylistic commonality to be found throughout these paintings. The name derives from the fact that all of these watercolorists worked (and often taught) in California between the years of '25 and '55.

The reproductions are entrancing, gorgeous. And the myriad styles, subjects and techniques are executed masterfully. Prior to finding this book, I had mistakenly thought of watercolor as the poor artist's medium - Oil Paint's snot-nosed little brother. Ah, how wrong I was! I now doubt that the variety of effects obtainable in watercolor can be effectively duplicated by the greatest artists in any other medium.

These pictures draw your eyes like a vacuum and beg you to study them slowly, carefully. Experience the lonely, somber tones of Gretzner's 1950's, LOBSTER HOUSE - MONTEREY; feel the heat emanating from Gibson's 1950's, SOLEDAD CROSSING; explore the frozen moment of midday light in Teague's 1960's, SOL Y SOMBRA; squint into the blue breeze of Irving's 1950's, SWINGING SIGN; sing with the pastels of Wachtel's 1930's, SYCAMORES; melt into the liquid thoughts of Robert's pensive girl in the 1950's, DAYDREAMS; or laugh with the playful looseness of Johnson's 1930's, I STREET BRIDGE, which looks like it could have modeled for the background cells of Disney's 101 Dalmations. There's so much loveliness here that I hardly know where to start!

I actually credit this book, along with the works of Edward Hopper (my favorite artist), for teaching me the meaning of "authentic" art. If it makes you feel any better, I bought my copy for a rich $50.+ back in '88. Taking into account 16 years of inflation and its current scarcity, the steep asking price for a used copy of THE CALIFORNIA STYLE is not so out of line.

Like the pictures in my high school yearbooks, which this book abuts in my bookcase, the pictures in THE CALIFORNIA STYLE may represent images from a distant past, but this makes them treasures all the more!