| "Rooted in Nevada" On Exhibit at the Comstock History Center |
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September 09, 2009
“Robert Cole Caples: Rooted in Nevada” features works from the Nevada Museum of Art permanent collection, in addition to newly acquired drawings, paintings, pastels, notes and studio materials, this exhibition reveals the interests, inspiration, and character of Robert Caples whose creative spirit was rooted in Nevada. Caples lived, for a time, in a small house in Dayton, Nevada he called Lizard Hall and his work reflects the landscape and culture of this region. “We are extremely pleased to exhibit Caples’ work in one of the places that inspired him to paint.” said Bert Bedeau, administrator of the Comstock History Center. Caples is best known for his legendary Indian charcoal drawings from the late 1920s and early 1930s. In these drawings, he portrayed distinct individuals performing everyday tasks. The drawings were reproduced years later in two portfolios published by the University of Nevada Press. However, for Caples, true inspiration stemmed from the landscape that had awed him since 1924 when he arrived in Nevada. Caples briefly studied at the National Academy of Design, the Art Students League of New York and the Santa Barbara Community School of Art. It wasn’t until his involvement with the 1930s Federal Arts Project, which brought Caples into contact with a diverse range of painters and printmakers that he began to evolve and expand his work in new directions. Soon after, his work in Nevada’s rural towns and vanishing mining camps, including the Comstock, was said to reflect stylistic elements of Edward Hopper, Stuart Davis, Thomas Hart Benton, and Grant Wood. Curated by Nevada Museum of Art, “Robert Cole Caples: Rooted in Nevada” is part of the Nevada Arts Council’s Nevada Touring Initiative, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts American Masterpieces Initiative. A program of the Nevada Arts Council, the Nevada Touring Initiative supports the work of artists and increases access to cultural events and experiences at the local level, particularly in communities that have typically been underserved. The Nevada Arts Council is a division of the Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs. Admission to the Comstock History Center is free. The Center also displays the Virginia and Truckee Railroad Engine #18, the Dayton, which the Nevada State Railroad Museum has restored. The Comstock History Center is managed by the State Historic Preservation Office, an agency of the Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs. The Department serves Nevada’s citizens and visitors through cultural and information management, presentation and promotion of cultural resources, and education. The Department also includes the Division of Museums and History, Nevada State Library and Archives, Nevada Arts Council, Comstock Historic District Commission, and Commission for Cultural Affairs. For more information on the Department of Cultural Affairs, please call Teresa Moiola at (775) 687-8323 or visit the department’s website at www.NevadaCulture.org.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Virginia City, Nev. The Comstock History Center presents the exhibit “Robert Cole Caples: Rooted in Nevada,” on display through November 1, 2009. “Robert Cole Caples: Rooted in Nevada” highlights the lifelong work of Robert Cole Caples and his deep connection to the landscape and its original inhabitants.
The Comstock History Center located at 20 North “E” Street in Virginia City. Hours are from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. For more information, please call the Center at 775-847-0419 or 775-847-0281.