Valley Impressions: Historic Block Prints and Watercolors by William S. Rice
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Exhibit Dates
March 1 - April 5, 2011
Description
Valley Impressions: Historic Block Prints and Watercolors by William S. Rice on view from March 1 - April 5, 2011, is curated by Rice's great-granddaughter, University of the Pacific senior, Marie-Clare Treseder '11 with a presentation by the artist's grandson, Carl Rice Treseder, during the during the March 17th reception.
Valley Impressions: Historic Block Prints and Watercolors features 38 original works by the artist, a large portion generously loaned by the artist's daughter Roberta Rice Treseder, from her private collection.
Noted painter and printmaker William S. Rice (1873-1963) longed to preserve the natural beauty of turn-of-the-century California through his art. In 1900, Rice traveled from Pennsylvania to Stockton to serve as Supervisor of Art for the city's public schools. While living in Stockton, Rice became captivated by the local landscape. He spent a lifetime capturing our region's visual wealth.
Rice's influential prints and watercolors mark his love affair with the Central Valley. They also show his use of the Japanese printmaking technique to respond to our region's topography, marrying the western landscape to eastern artistic ideas. His subject is always nature in all its variations, celebrated at a moment when California's natural resources and virginal landscapes seemed inexhaustible.
Since his death, W.S. Rice has become an increasingly celebrated artist, most recently showcased at the San Francisco Legion of Honor exhibition Japanesque: The Japanese Print in the Era of Impressionism. His work is housed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Oakland Museum of California, the Achenbach Collection for Graphic Arts, New York Public Library, Haggin Museum of Stockton, the Crocker Art Museum of Sacramento, and Worcester Art Museum.
This exhibition shows Stockton and the surrounding area through the eyes of a master. It provides an exclusive opportunity to experience watercolors, color block prints, and black and white block prints from the largest single collection of W.S. Rice's work. The show includes prints and watercolors from rarely seen private collections, as well as several of Rice's personal effects. Rice's great-granddaughter Pacific senior Marie-Clare Treseder is a double major in Visual Studies and Philosophy. Treseder was assisted with this project by Dr. Bett Schumacher, Prof. Dan Kasser and Dr. Merrill Schleier.
Recommended Citation
University of the Pacific, "Valley Impressions: Historic Block Prints and Watercolors by William S. Rice" (2011). Reynolds Gallery Exhibits Archive. 91.
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/rg-exhibits/91
