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A new exhibit at UC Irvine uses paintings and archival photos to examine the history of Californians’ relationship with nature,
One of the pieces in “Indefinitely Wild: Preserving California's Natural Resources,” now on view at the Jack & Shanaz Langson Institute & Museum of California Art at UC Irvine, is “Del Monte Forest,” painted in 1915 by Detlef Sammann. The willowy trees depicted in the painting are touched by warm sunlight, inviting viewers to lose themselves in California’s natural beauty.
But any sense of peace a viewer might get from the idealized landscape won’t last long: A placard right next to the piece describes how railroads were created with wood from trees like the ones in the painting. The railroads brought new people to the region, which resulted in homes and businesses, which further industrialized California and increased its population even further – which, of course, led to the razing of millions more trees. Photos in a glass case show the ravages of 19th-century deforestation in California.
By now, most Californians understand that nature’s gifts are not everlasting. But we don’t always think about how our actions impact nature. “Indefinitely Wild” aims to put that contrast in sharp relief; throughout the exhibit, paintings of pastoral scenes depicting the state’s diverse landscapes are displayed next to archival images, documents and quotes that illustrate how humans don't always consider the damage they do to ecosystems.
The exhibit is the brainchild of guest curator Cassandra Coblentz, who worked with Krystal Tribbett, UC Irvine’s curator for Orange County regional history, to build the show. At a talk given on the exhibit’s opening day, Coblentz explained that her recent works revolve around ecology and environmentalism. “Indefinitely Wild,” named after a quote from Henry David Thoreau, is no different.
“It’s important to still consider that natural resources are not indefinite,” Coblentz said. “And it’s our responsibility to be aware of the history of the way they’ve been used and developed, and also to care for them and to be good stewards going forward.”
When curator Cassandra Coblentz first started to create the exhibit, she scoured IMCA’s permanent collection to find works of art from the 19th and 20th centuries that dealt with the concepts of conservation and preservation. When she couldn’t find any, she decided to use historical materials to contrast how artists captured the wonder of nature with the way settlers from the same period exploited California’s resources.
When Coblentz first started to create the exhibit, she scoured IMCA’s permanent collection to find works of art from the 19th and 20th centuries that dealt with the concepts of conservation and preservation. When she couldn’t find any, she decided to use historical materials to contrast how artists captured the wonder of nature with the way settlers from the same period exploited California’s resources.
New settlers of the American West saw themselves as separate from nature, Coblentz said, a mindset that allowed them to seize the land and everything in it with little thought about how it would transform the landscape.
Coblentz organized the exhibit into five different sections based on the resources used by these settlers: mountains, trees, the coast, water, and land. The exhibit begins in the 1840s, marking the industrialization of the state thanks to the California Gold Rush, and ends in the 1940s, with the advent of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s conservation New Deal programs.
While considering “Del Monte Forest,” Tribbett described how the settlers failed to take into account the years it took for the trees to grow – and the years it would take for them to grow back. Tribbett expanded on this idea while discussing “Laguna Eucalyptus,” a painting by Guy Rose.
Settlers planted millions of eucalyptus trees to combat the effects of the logging industry, only to realize that they were useless as timber, she explained. The settlers did not recognize that the resources they were taking from nature were, in fact, limited, and once they did, the damage had already been done. On the other hand, Tribbett noted, artists found eucalyptus trees aesthetically pleasing, and they became a popular subject in paintings.
“Indefinitely Wild” clearly shows how industrialization, the depletion of the state’s natural resources, and the resulting efforts to protect what remained of California’s wilderness influenced the artists of the time. Tribbett hopes the exhibit will have a similar effect on those who view it.
“I hope visitors gain a new perspective of California in terms of our appreciation for our natural resources but also our usage of it and how the relationship between man and nature has changed over time,” she said.
“Indefinitely Wild” will be on view until Sept. 9, 2023. The Jack & Shanaz Langson Institute & Museum of California Art is located at 18881 Von Karman in Irvine. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Admission and parking are free.
