1. 8/18/2016 Curating Tarbell - Gate House
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By Nora Fenton
March 13. 2016 4:45PM
Curating Tarbell
Art conservator and researcher Jeremy
Fogg, left, and fine art painter Alastair
Dacey sit in the middle of the "Illuminating
Tarbell" exhibit at the Discover
Portsmouth Center in Portsmouth. Fogg
curated "Life and Art on the Piscataqua"
focusing on the paintings of Edmund
Tarbell. Dacey curated the "Legacy in
Action" focusing on contemporary
painters whose art echoes Tarbell's work.
Photo by Nora Fenton
Shining a light on the work of an artist is an art form in itself. Identifying the inspiration in the artist's environment
and experience and displaying that dimension takes an exhibit to another level.
"Illuminating Tarbell" is an ambitious museumquality exhibit that gives insight into the work of early 19thcentury
local American Impressionist painter Edmund C. Tarbell, curated by art conservator and researcher Jeremy Fogg and
fine art painter Alastair Dacey.
The dual exhibition includes nearly 60 of Tarbell’s works, a gallery of about 50 paintings by six contemporary artists
who reflect Tarbell’s aesthetics, a fivepart lecture series, a 72page color catalogue, and a look into the Tarbell family
archives. The exhibit is on display over two floors at Discover Portsmouth in downtown Portsmouth.
“'Illuminating Tarbell' displays a higher caliber of artwork than we have ever experienced in our facility,"said Allison
Galliher, director of programming at the Portsmouth Historical Society. "We have had a lot of topnotch exhibits
before, but for this exhibition we have been getting attention from people in the community as well as across the
country who are really amazed at what we have been able to do here.”
Tarbell, who lived from 1862 to 1938, was born in Groton, Massachusetts, and died in his New Castle family home on
the Piscataqua River. Much of his early and late career revolved around being both a student and a teacher. As a young
adult, he studied painting at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and later enhanced his studies in Paris.
On his return from Paris, he applied his acquired Impressionist ideals to the cultivation of the Boston School style of
painting.
His works often focus on the lives of his family — his wife, Emeline, their children Josephine, Mercie, Mary, Edmund
Jr., and his grandchildren. Tarbell applied his academic painting standards to the Impressionist way of approaching light and color.
A firsttime curator, Fogg of South Berwick, Maine, created the primary exhibition, "Illuminating Tarbell: Life and Art on the Piscataqua," which is on display
downstairs at the center. This portion emphasizes the influence Tarbell’s family and home in New Castle had on his artwork. Works such as "Mary on a
Horse," "Edmund and His Pony Peanut," and "Emeline Souther Tarbell in a New Castle, New Hampshire Garden" illustrate his family’s roots in New England
society.
Fogg, who restored several of the displayed Tarbell paintings, immersed himself not only in Tarbell’s artistic process and style, but also in his family history.
Fogg worked closely with Tarbell's descendants and the Tarbell Charitable Trust to give viewers a personal look into Tarbell’s life and work. Fogg made it a
priority to find “the whole story behind Tarbell’s paintings.”
“I really want visitors to understand the creative process of an artist,” said Fogg. “Sometimes, when you go to a museum show, everything is so beautifully laid
out with labels. I want to fill in some of the cracks, the behindthescenes aspects you don’t normally get to see.”
"Life and Art on the Piscataqua" includes a recreated studio depicting Tarbell’s New Castle workspace. There are several Tarbell family heirlooms on display
such as antique furniture, photographs, correspondence and one of Tarbell’s painting kits. Tarbell’s love for horses is exemplified in many of his works. Fogg
acquired a Tarbell saddle and several of his winning trophies to complement the equestrian paintings.
“I think the local connection makes this exhibition especially interesting. Looking at the family photographs and then seeing the photos portrayed in the
paintings brings history to life,” said Brian Rogers of Newington, who visited the exhibit.
The exhibit in the center's upstairs gallery, "Illuminating Tarbell: Legacy in Action," offers contemporary reflections of Tarbell’s aesthetic values. Curator
Alastair Dacey expertly displays Tarbell’s resonating influence in the work of six accomplished fineart painters: Don Demers, Paul Ingbretson, Jean Lightman,
Mary Minifie, Colin Page and Dacey himself.
Dacey has studied professionally in the Boston School style for several years. He also lived in a wing of the historic Tarbell home in New Castle before the
devastating fire that destroyed the structure this past January. His knowledge of Tarbell’s relationship with Impressionism percolates throughout the
exhibition.
“Upstairs is a living legacy. These are all painters alive today, wielding brushes in a way that reflects Tarbell’s ideals and pursuits,” said Dacey. “This is about
showing off Tarbell’s importance and why he matters now.”
Similar to "Life and Art on the Piscataqua," this complementary exhibit highlights the artistic process, the role education plays in style, and the importance of
“seeing” in American Impressionism. It magnifies for visitors how Dacey, Demers, Ingbretson, Lightman, Minifie and Page approach the fundamentals of
precision, subject, beauty and Realism.
2. 8/18/2016 Curating Tarbell - Gate House
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Nature was a subject that Tarbell often painted in his “working from life” style. Visitors can see this theme demonstrated in Ingbretson’s "Early Evening,
October 5, 2015" as well as in Demers’ "Bass Rocks."
“I want this exhibition to show viewers that Tarbell’s legacy is alive and well. That realism and American Impressionism matters, that they are an authentic
way of expressing yourself,” said Dacey.
“The way Tarbell worked with natural light and his brushwork techniques were cutting edge. He used his education in Paris to create and set the standards for
American Impressionism,” Doug Nelson, a Tarbell enthusiast, active member of Portsmouth's art and history community and Vice President of Investments at
Wells Fargo Advisors. He's served as a financial adviser to the Tarbell family and used to go sailing with Tarbell's grandson, Edmund C. Tarbell II.
“It was important to see the Tarbell descendants so well represented at the exhibition," Nelson said. "Fogg, Dacey and the Discover Portsmouth team are a
strong, talented group, and it was their efforts that led to such a successful display of art and history.”
He also noted the power of the exhibit to extend Tarbell's influence. "There was a great energy at the Tarbell exhibition opening. There was a diverse crowd
including a new younger generation of 20 to 30yearolds present. Their active involvement in the arts community will keep Tarbell's legacy alive." Nelson
said. “There are a lot of talented artists who are forgotten in history. The turnout at this exhibition was diverse. The younger generations will ensure Tarbell’s
lasting legacy.”
The "Illuminating Tarbell" exhibition will be at Discover Portsmouth through June 3. Admission is free, with a $5 suggested donation. Each of the paintings on
display in "Legacy in Action" is for sale, unless noted otherwise at the exhibit. For information, email info@portsmouthhistory.org or visit
www.portsmouthhistory.org
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