A rare chance (reposted)

Guy Rose created this iconic California impressionism scene of Point Lobos in 1918. I've always loved this painted for its straightforward, unadorned, simple presentation of the grandeur found on the point. It's one of my favorite areas to paint and I always wondered where the heck he painted this vista. In talking to many local artists the general consensus was that the view had changed since then and the big centerpiece had calved and fallen into the sea. Yesterday Jesse Powell sent me this photo taken recently. There it is.... sunsabijjess. He found the place.

I can't think of many opportunities to see the exact scene that some truly great dead guy or gal painted from. A lot has changed in the nearly 100 years that have passed. But not here. The only difference really is the vantage point, Guy Rose was clearly a little lower and over to the right from the cameras point of view. If you can imagine Mr. Roses viewpoint then you can tell that he didn't really change much. There's more mossy stuff on the cliffs, the shrubs have grown down another 20 feet, but pretty much there it is. Rose did a fair amount of romanticized imagery but this one he didn't interpret much. In fact it's damn spot on as to what is there. Maybe he warmed up the rocks a little to play off the blue. How great is it to be able to see through the eyes of a deceased painter? Kind of creepy but still very cool.

Thought you all would get a kick out of it.