Tonalism at the Swedenborgian

A painting by Jack Cassinetto in the parish house of the Swedenborgian Church.

We’re pleased to present new tonalist paintings in the Arts & Crafts style by California landscape painter Jack Cassinetto in a most appropriate venue: the historic Swedenborgian Church in San Francisco. A reception will be held on Friday, May 11, in the parish house at 6:30, followed by a talk by the artist in the sanctuary at 7:30.

Many prominent early California artists and artisans helped create the church, including the most significant artist of the era, William Keith, whose four murals hang on the north wall.

Read more: “Cradle of Arts & Crafts“

Angel Island: last of the eucalyptus

From Angel Island to Belvedere | Jack Cassinetto

“Angel Island: The Last of the Eucalyptus” presents a new body of work — both paintings and painted furniture — by noted California landscape artist Jack Cassinetto. The work captures the disappearing eucalyptus trees on Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay.

While Cassinetto usually paints northern California’s more rural areas, he was drawn to paint the eucalyptus trees on Angel Island before they were cut earlier this year as part of the state’s “exotic species removal project.” That project has logged many of the eucalyptus trees on Angel Island because they are not native to the island (or to anywhere else in California, for that matter).

For much of his life, Cassinetto has been painting the Northern California landscape. He has a special affinity for the eucalyptus trees that dot the countryside.

The Angel Island exhibition premiered at the Arts & Crafts Expo in San Francisco in August, and continues at the gallery. Included alongside Cassinetto’s paintings in antique frames are his first paintings on antique furniture, including two early 20th century drop-front desks.

It’s 1910 all over again

Jack Cassinetto | Monterey Eucalyptus

“Did you say Cassinetto or Cadenasso?” mused one collector of California landscape paintings as she marveled at Jack Casinetto’s work.

Cassinetto may live and paint in the here and now, but his style is straight from the turn of the last century, when the tonalism movement held sway among painters in Northern California. Cadenasso, Martinez, Piazzoni, the Mathews and half a dozen other of the best painters of the period are the chief influences for Cassinetto’s work a century later.

Cassinetto has been painting all of his adult life. For the past decade, he has worked exclusively in the tonalist style, capturing the moody beauty of the Northern California landscape from Fort Bragg south to Point Lobos and inland to the Delta and the Gold Country.

And those frames! He continues to showcase his work in antique frames that enhance the early California look. Occasionally he carves his own frames for just the right painting.

Cassinetto continues to be a favorite among collectors of California landscapes, particularly those with an interest in the Arts & Crafts era.

Small rooms, vivid art

Jack Cassinetto | Russian River Redwoods

The air is hot, the meter maids are swarming like angry wasps and I’m wandering the Western Addition to see what’s burning. My first stop is the Thomas Reynolds Gallery at 2291 Pine Street, once a private residence that’s now a well-adapted space of small rooms and vivid art.

Reynolds is a pleasant and enthusiastic mover of his artists, a favorite seeming to be Veerakeat Tongpaiboon, a Thai immigrant still overwhelmed by the sheer joy of his paints, and the architectural and line possibilities of rooftops and streets. Bold color and a strong sense of space fill these exuberant pieces of town.

Tasty pieces of furniture quietly inhabit the rooms. A small space in back, reminiscent of the Dutch Masters room of the de Young, features a collection of contemporary landscapes in turn-of-the-century style by Jack Cassinetto. These beautifully framed impressions of eucalyptus and warm foliage help define the ambiance of this friendly, intimate gallery.

— BANA WITT, Western Edition