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The historical influx of artists to the South Fork of Long Island is well known and well-documented: Dozens of texts deal with the arrival and subsequent careers of such renowned artists as Thomas Moran, William Merritt Chase and Childe Hassam, as well as scores of others who followed, with works by many of these artists included in the permanent collections of the Parrish Art Museum in Southampton and Guild Hall in East Hampton.
Quietly, over the last five years, the Southold Historical Society has been working to make sure that the artistic history of the North Fork is duly documented as well. The society’s book, “A Shared Aesthetic: Artists of Long Island’s North Fork” (Southold Historical Society & Hudson Hills Press, 250 pages, $50), was released in August.
“A Shared Aesthetic” catalogues every artist working on the North Fork the Southold Historical Society could identify, from settlement to 1969. Anyone who picked up a paint brush and made art was included, said Geoffrey K. Fleming, the director of the Southold Historical Society, who formerly served as director of the Bridgehampton Historical Society from 1999 to 2003.
The book was mostly written by Mr. Fleming, who co-authored and co-edited the book with Sara Evans, a freelance writer, editor and author. Three chapters were written by Wendy Prellwitz, Jim Grathwohl and Norman Wamback, respectively. The foreword was written by Amei Wallach, a noted art critic who lives on the North Fork. Last week, the book won a prize for Scholarship, Research, Writing and Production from the Greater Hudson Heritage Network.
“We didn’t want the book to be about only the famous artists who worked here, like books I’ve read about the South Fork art scene,” Mr. Fleming said. “They leave out so many local artists who were there working and we didn’t want to do that. Everyone we could find who painted on the North Fork before 1969 was at least included in the biography section. We feel we’ve created a real source for North Fork art history with this book.”
The North Fork’s artistic history is presented in chronological order in 10 chapters. The unifying theme of the chapters is presenting a slice of artistic life and eventual artist attempts to begin exhibiting their work locally. Biographies of more than 275 artists who worked on the North Fork before 1969 are included, along with historic photographs and reproductions of paintings, most of which depict landscapes or seascapes.
Rare exhibition announcements that are part of the book were exciting finds, Mr. Fleming said, adding that one of the most surprising aspects of researching the book was discovering just how many people did paint on the North Fork. When the book project was launched, the Southold Historical Society had collected around 40 names. As word spread and fund-raisers were held to cover the cost of publication, North Fork residents seemed to “discover” artists left and right. Pretty soon, the total was pushing 280.
“We’re still finding other artists who lived or worked here,” Mr. Fleming said. “This book really made people think about the stories they’ve heard and look a little closer at photographs and other things they might have in their attics.”
Making the book an enjoyable read was another goal. The stories reveal not only who was painting on the North Fork and how they worked, but also what it was like to live during times when open fields, farming and fishing were the norm and not subdivisions, strip malls and sophisticated wineries.
“Artists are just people too, and they talked about being excited about getting running water or not liking the view outside their window,” Mr. Fleming said. “We were lucky to have a great number of letters, and some of these stories come from the letters the artists wrote to each other.”
Plans call for an extensive exhibition based on the book to be held in spring 2009 at the Long Island Museum of American Art, History and Carriages in Stony Brook. Several weeks ago, Spanierman Modern in Manhattan held a book signing in conjunction with a show on Betty Parsons (1900-1982), who worked on the North Fork. Spanierman Gallery in East Hampton has exhibited husband-and-wife team Henry Prellwitz (1865-1940) and Edith Prellwitz (1864-1944), who are prominently featured in “A Shared Aesthetic.”
Terry Wallace of the Wallace Gallery of East Hampton has been interested in North Fork art history for years. Based on his finds, Mr. Wallace wrote the book, “Caroline M. Bell and the Peconic Bay Impressionists.” He curated an exhibition of the same name at the Suffolk County Historical Society Museum in Riverhead from December 2006 to April 2007. He has exhibited the art of Caroline M. Bell (1874-1970) and other North Fork painters in his East Hampton gallery over the years.
“A Shared Aesthetic: Artists of Long Island’s North Fork” ($50, plus a $6 shipping fee) is available by calling the Southold Historical Society at 631-765-5500. The book should become available online at popular bookselling websites in spring 2009.
on Oct 27, 2008