You have probably heard about the quality of the light in Southern France and the many artists it attracted, wanting to paint how it bathed the lovely fields of lavender and basked the showy yellow sunflowers. But right here in Southern California, the light is considered to be of comparable quality and has attracted many artists as well. The first of these were the California Impressionists, many of whom were trained in the finest schools on the East Coast of the United States or in Europe and who came to Southern California soon after the turn of the century. It was here where they began to paint landscapes, old houses and farms, and the ever-present eucalyptus tree. At the K. Nathan Gallery, located at 7723 Fay St., there is a show of California Impressionists that offers a nice selection of both past and present masterworks of this genre. Rediscovered in the 1970s, the impressionistic landscape paintings are now considered the product of a bona fide art movement recognized worldwide. The show includes some real gems in which we can appreciate the California’s light, history and natural resources. Keith Kelman, the owner of K. Nathan Gallery, said there are six very important artists of the California Impressionist movement. He calls them “The Big Six.” They are Maurice Braun (1877-1941), Guy Rose (1867-1925), William Wendt (1865-1946), Edgar Payne (1882-1947), Grandville Redmond (1871-1935) and Franz Bischoff (1864-1925). There are many modern painters who paint the California natural landscape in the impressionistic and plein aire style. Probably the best of these is Brian Blood. Blood admits to being influenced by the early impressionists, but denies trying to copy them. Blood’s wife, Laurie Kersey, is also very good painter. Tom Peters is a highly talented urban industrial landscape and cityscape painter represented by K. Nathan Gallery. He said he is very impressed by the capturing of light by the California Impressionists. Peters has done some painting in the style of impressionists and says it is a give-and-take process. “You open up to the marvels of nature yet you bring something of yourself to it. As Maurice Braun liked to say, ‘It is what we visualize and the interpretation we give the fantasies of the mind that counts,’” he says. Like Kelman, he says the California Impressionists had a very spiritual approach to painting. He said they were looking for the divine in nature and in light, and were thus transcendental. Peters calls this spiritual approach “standing in the presence of nature.” Kelman said he thinks the impressionists were basically “nature worshippers” who saw God in nature. He likes to quote William Wendt’s statements: “What nature God has wrought” and “Here the heart of man becomes impressionable.” But Kelman also said he thinks they were systematic and concerned with method. He mentions the “Sketchbook of William Wendt,” dated Sept. 11, 1899, which he has at the gallery. In it, Wendt gives a numerical value to the quality of light every 15 minutes throughout the day. If you come to this show and spend some time looking at the California Impressionists’ paintings, they will change the way you see. When you leave the gallery, you may find yourself admiring the plays on light or shadows on leaves of trees, feeling grateful for the wonderful glow that baths our city. For more information, visit www.KNathangallery.com or call (858) 459-3490.