I enjoy art. I am not an artist but love paintings that capture the spirit and the feeling of places and people as viewed through another’s eyes.

Recently I attended a reception hosted by John Klosterman and Billy Cox at Ridge House in Columbus for Robert Calcagno, who has been called “America’s French Impressionist.” It was a grand spread of food, people, conversation and art.

Robert Calcagno is an attorney-turned-artist, so we had an interesting conversation about both law and art. He has a studio in Jasper, Georgia, and one in Saint Leon-sur-Vezere, France. Impressively, his paintings have been included in shows at Giverny, which was the home of Claude Monet and at the Louvre. The Ridge House was filled with his paintings, but they were not of France. They were mostly of Columbus.

It was at the 2024 Tour of Homes that Robert first ventured to Columbus, and he returned later to hear the presentation at the Lee Home of Peter Colasante of Georgetown’s L’Enfante Gallery. On those two visits, he explored Columbus and found the town full of what he called “treasures.” He then began painting the homes and vistas of Columbus. Those were the paintings he brought to Ridge House.

I found his paintings to be beautiful and evocative images of Columbus. His views of a tunnel through the trees overhanging Airline Road and of Wisteria Place and Shadowlawn are outstanding. The paintings struck a chord with me and reminded me of another artist. Interestingly, it was not a painting of Columbus, but when I was looking at his painting of a New York streetscape, I realized how much his work reminded me of Josh Meador’s work. In particular it brought to mind Josh’s “Paris Street Scene,” a painting that I have.

Robert’s painting is a daytime scene and Josh’s is nighttime, which at first glance don’t appear all that similar. However, they evoke the same thoughts about the similar images of the pedestrians on the street. You are drawn into wondering who the people might be, whether they are shopping or strolling and where they might be going. With just a few strokes of a brush or palette knife, a story is told.

While Meador is most noted for being head of Animation Effects at Disney Studios during its “Golden Age” and for Oscar-winning special effects, his oil paintings not only graced Walt Disney’s personal office and home but also the White House of both Dwight Eisenhower and Lyndon Johnson.

Josh had grown up in Columbus, and though he moved to California, he always considered Columbus home. On summer trips back to Columbus, he painted or drew local homes and scenes. Among his paintings were the Stockard home and the Cedars. He did drawings of Temple Heights, the Harris Home and the ruins of the old Cumberland Presbyterian Church. For the fall pilgrimage in Columbus, preliminary plans are being made to celebrate the Life of Josh and his legacy of 29 years of making Micky Mouse, Snow White, Donald Duck, Cinderella and all the beloved Disney characters come alive on the big screen.

Just as Josh Meador once found and painted treasures in Columbus, so has Robert Calcagno. If only we all could appreciate the beauty and treasures of Columbus that are so often seen and enjoyed by those coming from far away.

Robert Calcagno’s paintings of Columbus and his New York Streetscape can be seen at The Southern Exchange on Main Street in Downtown Columbus.

Rufus Ward is a Columbus native a local historian. E-mail your questions about local history to Rufus at [email protected].

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