Can Preservation Be a Mission Accomplished? : Art: Joan Irvine Smith aims to rekindle interest in Mission San Juan Capistrano with an exhibition of paintings, publication of a book.

Claire Dell broke into a triumphant smile.

With careful examination to detail and color, Dell and her two companions from Vermont had just successfully identified the inspiration behind Charles Percy Austin’s 1924 oil painting, titled “Mary Pickford’s Wedding, San Juan Capistrano.”

“Absolutely gorgeous,” Dell whispered.

Austin’s work was among 35 paintings of California missions on display Saturday at Mission San Juan Capistrano.

The exhibit was the brainchild of Joan Irvine Smith, founder of the Irvine Museum and a leading collector of Impressionist artwork.

“It was my hope that with this exhibit, it would get people more involved with the preservation of the mission,” Smith told about 70 who gathered for the private kickoff ceremony.

Visitors toured the makeshift gallery, where Impressionist landscapes hung against the wall that surrounded the open courtyard.

The paintings, displayed in their natural settings, were on loan from the Irvine Museum, the Capistrano collection and private owners. Works owned by Mission San Juan Capistrano have recently been restored for their first public viewing in more than 50 years, according to Gerald Miller, the mission’s administrator.

Smith published a 128-page art book about California’s 21 missions, which was released Saturday.

The book, titled “Romance of the Bells: The California Missions in Art,” includes artwork depicting Orange County’s only mission. Mission San Juan Capistrano sits on nearly 13 acres, and houses the Serra Chapel, the oldest building in California still in use. The chapel, built in 1776, is also the only church remaining where mission founder Father Junipero Serra celebrated Mass.

Painted by some of the better-known California Impressionists, the landscapes date about 1890 to 1924, according to Jean Stern, director if the Irvine Museum. Other missions displayed were Mission Santa Barbara, Mission La Purisima, San Diego Mission and Mission San Luis Rey.

Artists traveled by train, car, bicycle and by foot to stay at the mission, which is one of the most painted landmarks in California, Stern said.

“The mission is, indeed, a mecca of art,” Stern said.

He stressed the importance of reuniting the paintings with the mission that inspired them.

“This is the first time [the paintings] have been put on these walls,” Stern said. “Hopefully, this display will draw people and rekindle interest in the mission.”

The exhibit, which is open to the public, ends today and will move to the Irvine Museum on Wednesday.