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What Remains of Edward Beyer's Blue Ridge:
In 1848, the painter Edward Beyer and his wife left their native Germany, which was on the verge of political upheaval, and sailed for America. They traveled extensively from New York to Ohio. Along the way, he exhibited his work and continued to paint. Beyer visited Virginia based on the recommendation that its climate and natural springs might benefit his ailing wife. The mountain towns of Virginia would prove to be Beyer's greatest inspiration.
Beyer's landscapes offer a vivid and accurate image of life in the rural communities of Virginia. His paintings capture individual structures with such accuracy that one can identify those that still survive. Some of these are immediately recognizable, but others are hidden under later additions. Although these mountain towns have undergone considerable change since he painted them more than 150 years ago, much remains of Edward Beyer's Blue Ridge -- if you look for it. |