William Merritt Chase
1849–1916 · Impressionism, Realism · 14 works
William Merritt Chase moved comfortably between dark studio portraits and sunlit outdoor scenes. Training in Munich gave him an appetite for expressive brushwork and older European painting; encounters with French Impressionism helped broaden his color and approach to everyday life. New York parks and the coast at Shinnecock became recurring settings. He also taught for decades, including at his summer school on Long Island. Comparing the outdoor pictures with the portraits makes the differences useful: one artist could pursue several ways of painting without entirely abandoning an earlier approach.
14 works · 1877–1894
Compare A City Park with Lady in Black. Where does the light collect, and how much detail is left to broad brushstrokes?
Albert Pinkham Ryder
The Essex Canal, c. 1896
Alfred Sisley
The Bridge at Villeneuve-la-Garenne, 1872
Arthur Wesley Dow
Boats at Rest, c. 1895
