Standing Meitreya, unidentified artist, Eighteenth Century, China.

OLD LYME, CONNECTICUT: The Cooley Gallery will exhibit American works on paper, including watercolors, pastels, and gouaches, from September 13 to October 13.

Often relegated as a “secondary” medium, the perception of works on paper is changing as their popularity grows. This informal designation has several explanations. One might be the practice of using them as preliminary studies for larger canvases or because works on paper are often smaller than oils or because, they are images behind glass. However they are categorized, works on paper have a spontaneity and intimacy that make them sought after by all levels of collectors.

This exhibition includes the work of American artists from the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth centuries. Sensitively rendered and highly detailed watercolors by Pre-Raphaelite painter Fidelia Bridges are on view alongside luminous landscapes by Henry Farrer. Other Americans influenced by the Pre-Raphaelite movement represented here include John Hill, Henry Farrer and William Hill.

Albert Fitch Bellows was a noted genre painter in the late 19th century who is recognized for his warmly sentimental paintings of everyday life. The watercolor in this show is a fully realized study for a larger oil painting. The female figure is bending down to the water’s edge. The details in her dress and expression illustrate the artist’s desire familiarize himself thoroughly with his subject before committing her image to canvas.

John LaFarge began going to Newport in the 1860s. An exceptional watercolor of a Newport marsh by the artist is exhibited here. A large beach scene by Martha Walter is included with a watercolor by founder of The Ten, Willard Metcalf. Metcalf became a devout Impressionist late in life. This watercolor of Maine shows his early abilities.

Matilda Brown was the only woman acknowledged as a member of the Old Lyme colony. She lived in the village and worked among the other artists there. Her watercolors show a command of the medium that rivaled any of the artists she painted with.

Outdoor enthusiasts will be pleased that watercolors by Ogden Pleissner and Sandor Bernath are included. Pleissner’s vivid watercolors of outdoor scenes have built his paintings a deserved and enviable reputation. Bernath’s crisp watercolors of sailboats and New England villages will also be included in this exhibition.

For information, 860/434-8807. Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m