Edward-Dean Museum & Gardens — Attraction in California

This semester perhaps a few weeks back I took a trip to the Edward- Dean Museum located in Cherry Valley. Needless to say my trip from Perris to Cherry Valley was a bit of a long drive but well worth the trip. The Edward-Dean Museum is surrounded by a beautiful lush garden two football fields long with several spots to sit back and enjoy the agricultural beauty. The Museum and the grounds itself appears to be constructed in a mixture of neo-baroque and neo-classical style. The interior appears to contrast in style somewhat in each room while maintaining a casual residential vibe. In addition, the room opposite the main entrance has some nice trinkets and souvenirs for all who visit.

I can’t exactly recall the appropriate title for the first painting that I spent time with but I will call it” Painting of David having thrown stone at goliath” by Pietro Labri Italian Circa 17th century oil on canvas. In this painting David appears to be contemplating in retrospect the slaying of Goliath poised on a rock looking out at his surroundings. A closer look at the painting reveals composition wise, an obvious intent to capture a moment in time with the main subject of the piece. The slingshot composed to the lower right of David’s feet suggests that this moment takes place after the slaying of Goliath. The paint colors range from a calm to rich mixture of well placed, reds, purple, burnt / raw umber, sienna, greens and blues. The folds of David’s drapery bring an aspect of weight and suggestive form as well dimension. In fact I feel that it works as a very strong vocal point overall as it contrasts with the calmer colors of the painting. The addition of the golden baroque frame work further support David as the central focus of the painting. In regard to elements of design, I felt that this painting utilized elements of space, as the background and foreground surrounding the figure were painted with nothing other than blue sky which drew further emphasis on the figure as well as composition which strongly suggests the painting belongs in the portraiture genre.

The next painting I observed at the gallery that really caught my eye was “Portrait of David Garrick by Sir Joshua Reynolds 1723-1792 circa 18th century, oil on canvas. This painting appeared to be in the style of French Baroque. Like, Pietro’s “David” Reynolds’s “Portrait of David Garrick” is incased in a large golden baroque frame that strongly supports the central theme of the composition. This painting appears to depict a man of nobility suggested by the accessories on his magnificently elegant attire. In addition, the subject displayed confidence and dignity in his posture reminiscent of the French portrait of King Louis IV. Unlike Pietro’s “David”, “Portrait of David Garrick” appears to be composed of darker tones of color, or perhaps time and the heavy application of varnish are the cause. In either case these darker tones force the viewer to take a longer look at the painting to discovery its true value. One of the first things I noticed was the rich texture of the painting, looking at it I could see hints of layering and thick application suggesting this painting took more than several months to construct. Although the varnish had all but concealed the brush strokes I could see a hint of what I believe to be fluid brush strokes transparent against the warmth of the drapery in the background. The Further inspection of the background composed mainly of a seemingly crimson drapery reveals a remarkable since of depth and detail that supports the evidence of the time elapsed during the construction of the composition. In regards to the elements of design I felt this painting utilized texture as the brush strokes to me feel as though they contrast between the drapery and the subject itself.

Overall it was a fun experience and i recommend everyone visit its a fine establishment and the artwork and historical artifacts there...

Extremely disappointing experience. A non-profit mom group and I visited the Edward Dean Museum and Gardens with our little ones to take pictures during the free open public hours. We were excited to start when an employee approached us, demanding a $150 photographer fee. I explained that a friend was taking the pictures for free, but she insisted that only phone pictures were allowed. I had checked their website beforehand, and there was no mention of this policy. It felt discriminatory.

We had to pack everyone back into our cars and find another location at the last minute, which is a hassle with small children. Previously, I had tried organizing a free public event here for Mother’s Day because they had shown interest in collaborating. However, they were extremely difficult to work with, taking forever to respond to emails and canceling days before the event with flimsy excuses. They claimed the event had changed from their initial understanding, despite clear communication through video calls and photos.

I’ve attended other events at this venue, and they are always empty. Now, I...

What a wonderful local museum rich with local, state, national, and global history prices, an entire restored room of Victorian Era home, the old library with books you can actually sit and read incredible, I didn't have time but I plan a trip just to read. Wonderful knowledgeable guides. I was there in mid July of 2021 was a wedding on the same day there was one woman who was an intern or in school for artifact restoration something or other and the other was an art teacher, wonderful spirited people. Very knowledgeable and engaging both of them. You can see and learn some history of the Inland empire as well. Highly recommend , invaluable jewel of cherry Valley, definitely go spend money in the local region at the plethora of local farms vineyards and shops afterwards. La is cool and all but I love the Ie especially out east before the desert towns...