It must have been a strange time in the late 19th century when America made its shift from being a nation of farmers to a land of factories
Phil Grabsky
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It must have been a strange time in the late 19th century when America made its shift from being a nation of farmers to a land of factories. Interestingly, American Impressionists had begun crafting a visual narrative to document the period - later exhibited as The Artist's Garden: American Impressionism and the Garden Movement from 1887 to 1920. This exhibition began at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and ended at the Florence Griswold Museum, Connecticut and included impressionist paintings of open countryside and fast-changing cities.
And now, you can watch this exhibition in the city. Directed by Phil Grabsky and narrated by Gillian Anderson, this Exhibition On Screen film will allow you to travel to studios, gardens and iconic locations throughout the US, UK and France. "The Artist's Garden tells the intertwining stories of American Impressionism and The Garden Movement which flourished between 1887 and 1920. Both movements responded to the rapid social change brought about by America's industrialisation," says Grabsky. "Audiences will be transported to locations such as Appledore Island, run by poet Celia Thaxter, where preeminent impressionist Childe Hassam produced 300 works over three decades," he added.