SANDWICH, MASS.- Heritage Museums & Gardens in Sandwich, MA (Cape Cod) opened for the season, April 15-October 9, 10 am-5 pm daily. This season’s special exhibit is Painted Landscapes: Contemporary Views; guest curator is New York Art Expert Lauren Della Monica.

The term “landscape” has taken on a much broader scope since the days of 19th century Hudson River School painters with idealized scenes of the bounty of America’s landscape. Informed by the past and ever-conscious of the styles and movements of art history, contemporary painters craft their own visions of landscape painting as vibrant departures from these antiquated scenes. Painted Landscapes: Contemporary Views features American landscape paintings executed in a variety of media from 49 of the country’s best contemporary painters. Each artist featured takes acute notice of the physical world at a time of heightened awareness of the landscape, informed by today’s concerns including climate change, environmental health, conservation, and the green movement.

In this show, visitors will see work embracing lessons taught by the masters of the 20th century such as Thomas Hart Benton, Edward Hopper, Fairfield Porter, and Charles Burchfield. The styles of each of these masters is reflected or perhaps refracted by contemporary artists as they address the modern world.

The work of Alex Katz and Richard Estes, two of the most widely recognized American artists of this century, to the work of Paul Resika, Sam Cady, Jim Holland, and April Gornik, Painted Landscapes offers a range of styles, subjects, and approaches which, when taken together form an intimate, contemporary, and startlingly beautiful collection that addresses what landscape painting is today. The styles range from representational to abstract to non-objective and include established art stars, emerging talent, mentors, devotees, students and teachers. All of the work continues a tradition which persists through time and in popularity as artists use their surroundings as inspiration for creative expression and form a unique portrait of our country. Painted Landscapes shows us America today.