Oct. 17 Hassam

 

"Church at Old  Lyme"  1905

"The Water Garden"

Frederick Childe Hassam (October 17, 1859 – August 27, 1935) was an American Impressionist painter, noted for his urban and coastal scenes. Along with Mary Cassatt and John Henry Twachtman, Hassam was instrumental in promulgating Impressionism to American collectors, dealers, and museums. He produced over 3,000 paintings, oils, watercolors, etchings, and lithographs over the course of his career, and was an influential American artist of the early 20th century.

"Appledore, Isle of Shoals"

"Surf, Isle of Shoals"

Childe Hassam, a pioneer of American Impressionism and perhaps its most devoted, prolific, and successful practitioner, was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts (now a suburb of Boston), into a family descended from settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Equally adept at capturing the excitement of modern cities and the charms of country retreats, Hassam (properly pronounced HASS-am) became the foremost chronicler of New York City at the turn of the century. In our day, he is perhaps best known for his depictions of flag-draped Fifth Avenue during World War I. His finest works manifest his brilliant handling of color and light and reflect his credo (stated in 1892) that “the man who will go down to posterity is the man who paints his own time and the scenes of every-day life around him.”

"Fourth of July 1916"

"Allies Day 1917"

"Arch in Washington Square"

After establishing his reputation in Boston between 1882 and 1886, Hassam studied from 1886 to 1889 in Paris . There he was unusual among his American contemporaries in his attraction to French Impressionism , which was just beginning to find favor with American collectors. Hassam returned to the United States late in 1889 and took up lifelong residence in New York. His signature images include views of Boston, Paris, and New York, three urban centers whose places and pleasures he captured with affection and originality.

"Boston Commons at Twilight"

"Fifth Avenue late at Night"

"A Rainy Day in Boston"

While Hassam was unusual among the American Impressionists for his frequent depictions of burgeoning cities, he spent long periods in the countryside. There he found respite from urban pressures and inspiration for numerous important works of art. Hassam’s many portrayals of the old-fashioned gardens, rocky coast, and radiant sunlight of the Isles of Shoals, Maine, are among his most cherished works.  In 1919, Hassam and his wife purchased a colonial-period house in East Hampton, on the south fork of Long Island, New York, and made it their summer headquarters.

"At the Piano"

"Celia Thaxter's Garden"

"The Couch on the Porch"

"Afternoon French Tea"

Hassam created more than 2,000 oils, watercolors, pastels, and illustrations, and—after 1912—more than 400 etchings and other prints . With these works he achieved critical acclaim and commercial success, riding the great wave of enthusiasm for American Impressionism to fame and fortune.

"The Goldfish Bowl"

His greatest interest here is the way light and color are transformed by the

objects around them.  The "white" curtains are shot through  with hundreds 

of shades, the goldfish bowl affects the color of the table, etc.

"Improvisation"

"Tanagra Figure"

The young woman is holding an ancient Italian ceramic figure.  She

stands in a room with a Japanese screen and a bowl of flowers on the table; 

outside the window we catch a glimpse of the city.  The light reflects

differently on every surface.  Hassam is interested in catching the

light at a particular moment, not an eternal, unchanging one.

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