A segment of La Plaza del Toros – Sunday in Monterey (1874) reveals a traditional European basis on Nahl’s art
Ms Beresford is a retired English and American history teacher of 30 years in the Santa Barbara School District. She is author of two Noticias, “El Mirasol: From Swan to Albatross” and “Santa Barbara Grocers,” for the Santa Barbara Historical Society.
A gift from Antonia de la Guerra, this ornate fan symbolizes the romance of Santa Barbara’s Spanish past
Desfile Histórico wear intricate beaded and embroidered clothing. Moving into the next section, we see the inspiration for Old Spanish Days Fiesta. Ed Borein’s paintings of cowboy life and Alexander Harmer’s paintings of the lives of the old Spanish residents of California provided visuals for the romanticized history celebrated by Santa Barbarans in the 1920s. The most imposing painting in the collection, however, is the large canvas of La Plaza del Toros – Sunday in Monterey by Charles Christian Nahl (1818-78). Born and educated in Germany, Nahl headed ever westward as economic opportunity and political turmoil caused him to leave first Germany, then Paris, then Brooklyn, New York. He ended up in the California gold rush, struck it poor, and settled in
Sacramento to open a studio before disaster, this time fire, sent him packing for San Francisco. Nahl’s experiences in the gold camps led to one his most famous paintings, Sunday Morning in the Mines. (I doubt that there’s a fourth, fifth or eighth grader in the entire nation who hasn’t seen an image of this painting in his American history textbook.) The museum’s painting shows Nahl returning to his European roots as the ensemble scene in Monterey resembles his classical Rape of the Sabine Women. The third exhibit, Hidden Treasures, displays an eclectic collection of artifacts selected by the museum staff. From an old gramophone to an autographed, leather guitar case and a historical rain chart dating from 18181948, the interesting items hearken back to dozens of decades of Santa Barbara history. An aged gilt mirror was chosen by Jeanne Buchanan, director of membership, who whimsically notes “through the ages it has captured thousands of images without retaining a trace of them…”. A beautiful mother of pearl and silk fan in an ornate frame was the gift of Antonia de la Guerra, a descendent of the comandante of the Presidio. Another example of the romance with which we imbue the old Spanish days in California. The permanent collection, too, has some surprising and enchanting new features, and plans continue for a separate Ed Borein wing to the museum. The museum acknowledges board member Eleanor Van Cott for her support of this year’s Project Fiesta and Hidden Treasures. All three exhibits will run through October 16. •MJ
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