Urban Scenes of Seattle: 1910-1960

December 1, 2022 – January 7, 2024

This exhibition illustrates Seattle’s changing urban environment over a fifty-year span as depicted by several of Washington state’s finest artists. Some of the earliest works were created by Roi Partridge and Paul Morgan Gustin whose superb graphic abilities in drawing and printmaking introduce the initial architectural foundation and landmarks of the city.

Kenjiro Nomura and Kamekichi Tokita produced soulful, modern vignettes that evoke the regional atmospheric play of light on the familiar structures they encountered in their daily lives. Their paintings conveyed stability and optimism during the tough financial challenges of the Depression. A truly unique talent in Depression-era Seattle was Salvador Gonzalez who combined a stylistic appropriation of folk art with a powerful modernist design aesthetic.

Yvonne Twining Humber and Blanche Morgan Losey used a hard-edged Precisionist style in oil and watercolor for their commanding observations. Both artists approached regional architecture as a formidable challenge that included urban decay and renewal.

Concluding the exhibition are several mid-century watercolors by Andrew Chinn. These paintings illustrate how successfully he merged his initial traditional art training in China with contemporary western techniques. His superb brushwork and sensitive response to natural and man-made forms allow an emotional connection with the subject that is universal and timeless.

December 1, 2022 – January 7, 2024

Image Credits:

1. Yvonne Twining Humber (1907-2004), Business District, 1947. Oil on masonite. Private Collection.
2. Salvador Gonzalez (1904-1989), Cable Car, 1934. Oil on board. Private Collection.