Zolita Sverdlove

20th Century California Impressionist

California landscapes, coastal scenes, still life and nature


1936 - 2009

To purchase art contact drdrapp@earthlink.net 

Visit the studio in South Pasadena, CA


Sverdlove and Impressionist Paintings of California Landscapes

Zolita Sverdlove was a notable 20th century impressionist in South Pasadena, CA. Her work utilizes rich color and she captures the majesty of her surroundings. Many of her art works include California landscapes, particularly of the San Gabriel Valley, the Pasadena area looking northward to the San Gabriel mountains and southward to the buildings of downtown Los Angeles in the distance. Other paintings represent the California coast from Orange County to Monterey. Her still lifes are vivid in color.  Artist resume here.

About Zolita Sverdlove:


Born 1936; died 2009. Educated at Cooper Union Art School 1953-1956. She was a consummate, dedicated, almost obsessional artist who created about five hundred oil paintings and several thousand works on paper in her lifetime. She was fascinated by the grandeur of nature, and especially the interaction of colorful skies with landscapes in California. But no subject escaped her, whether still life, koi ponds, trees, fields or anything else. She was basically a fauvist, using rich color liberally. She worked in oils, watercolors, pastels, drawing, woodblock, lithograph, etching and monotype. Her work is impressionist – with brilliant color a dominant feature. Zolita Sverdlove fought cancer the last nine years of her life and finally succumbed in 2009.

History and Features of the Californian Impression Painting Movement

Impressionism in art originated in France in the late 19th century with the introduction of visible brush strokes, accentuated light, views from unusual angles, and color and light was more important than specific detail. Impressionism was ignored in the early and mid-20th century with the advent of minimalism, op, pop and slop in art. Zolita Sverdlove resurrected impressionism further using the California landscape in the late 20th century with accentuated lighting effects and visible brush strokes to depict the brilliance of sunsets, the shadows and highlights of clouds, and the reflections from water. Her landscapes often have more sky and land, and they are called "skyscapes". This version of impressionism is concerned with color and light rather than accurate depiction of shape.

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Pasadena Fine Art Studio Featuring the Works of Zolita Sverdlove

To visit art studio in South Pasadena, CA or inquire about art, contact: drdrapp@earthlink.net