François Pieter ter Meulen (Dutch, 1843–1927), Morning, c. 1910, oil on canvas, 30½” x 42½”; Collection of Maryhill Museum of Art
Upper Level Changing Exhibitions Gallery
March 15–November 15, 2025
Exhibition Overview
European and American painters have historically been conscious of the appearance of light in their compositions. Prior to the invention of electric lights, they were dependent upon the unpredictability of natural light. Some artists became specialists in particular kinds of illumination: direct light, diffuse light, oblique light, and chiaroscuro, among others. Many landscape artists were proponents of works created during the golden hour — the minutes of every morning and evening when the sun is near the horizon and the daylight is soft and warm.
Gillis van Tilborch (Belgian, c. 1625–c. 1678), The Wedding Feast, c. 1665, oil on canvas, 45” x 75”; Collection of Maryhill Museum of Art
Capturing Light: 350 Years of European and American Painting includes nearly 50 paintings ranging in date from the 17th century to the 21st century. The largest chronological grouping dates from 1830–1930. These works show multiple landscape views, scenes of farming and animal husbandry, British and Dutch still lifes, Pacific Northwest watercolors, and work by select Indigenous artists. Together they demonstrate Maryhill Museum of Art’s commitment to collecting works of representational art, much of it created within the sphere of 19th-century aesthetics.
Exhibition Subject Matter
Frederic, 1st Baron Leighton of Stretton (British, 1830–1896), Solitude, 1890, oil on canvas, 72” x 36”; Collection of Maryhill Museum of Art
Prominent painters include Frederic, Lord Leighton (British, 1830–1896) — whose Solitude is a long-time favorite of Maryhill Museum visitors—and Thomas Hart Benton (American, 1889–1975).
The images present subjects as diverse as a scene at County Cork’s Ballyhooly Fair (1858), an 1890s rendering of figures inside Paris’ Folies Bergère, a royal audience at Buckingham Palace (1931), and a shepherd on Arizona’s Navajo Reservation (2016).
Most of the works capture scenes from the historic past and their bucolic content provides viewers with an opportunity to reflect on lives lived at a slower pace and in a seemingly idyllic world.
Capturing Light: 350 Years of European and American Painting is supported by the Museum’s Annual Fund and Endowment Fund.