Tracing the Roots of Plein Air Painting: An Outdoor Art History Lecture in Nyack, NY

A Brief History of Plein Air Painting: What Is Plein Air Painting? By Elizath Thompson Colleary, Tu, October 14, 6-7:30pm

Tickets: Members: $10; General Public $15 Limited to 25

Hear from Elizabeth Thomas Colleary how painting outdoors has a long history in the art world, but it was not until the 19th century that it became widely practiced. Painting outside, or en Plein air, became increasingly popular in France among Barbizon artists then with Impressionist painters. This painting practice allowed painters to capture the more ephemeral qualities of the environment and to reflect the effects of natural light like never before. As a Hopper scholar, Ms. Colleary will bring this story forward to the 20th century, presenting numerous oils and watercolors, many rarely seen, that Jo Nivison and Edward Hopper painted side-by-side in outdoor settings where they found inspiration.

Elizabeth Thompson Colleary is an independent art historian and curator who has taught art history on the college level for twenty eight years and at Scarsdale High School for the past thirteen years. Beth also worked at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, where she helped develop the Hopper Research Collection at the Whitney Library. In 2004 she published "Josephine Nivison Hopper: Some Newly Discovered Works," in the Woman's Art Journal ; for EHH, she guest curated "Grace de Coeur: Watercolors by Josephine Nivison Hopper" (2014) and "Josephine Nivison Hopper: Edward's Muse" (2021). In 2013 she authored "Dear Mr. Hopper (Yale University Press) and an accompanying Edward Hopper House Museum exhibition based on letters discovered at Edward Hopper's childhood home in Nyack that updates understanding of the artist's personal life, relationship with women, and early work.