AMERICAN IMPRESSIONISM

Impressionism was popularized in the United States by the early 1890s, over twenty years after it first developed in France. Most of the artists identifying as Impressionists in the US belonged to an artistic collective known simply as The Ten—they exhibited together, presenting annual shows in New York City until 1906. Their members included Frank W. Benson, Joseph Rodefer DeCamp, Thomas Wilmer Dewing, Childe Hassam, Willard Leroy Metcalf, Robert Reid, Edward Simmons, Edmund C. Tarbell, J. Alden Weir, and John Henty Twachtman, who upon his death was succeeded by William Merritt Chase. This portfolio showcases examples of work from several of The Ten, emphasizing the nuance of each artist’s style. Themes include high-society portraits, idealized landscapes, outdoor sports, and two artists that fell outside The Ten but speak to the inspirations leading up to American Impressionisms as its immediate influence for a second generation in the early twentieth century.

Frank Weston Benson (American, 1862-1951)

Frank Weston Benson made a name for himself within the nineteenth century American art world as a painter, printmaker and educator. While know to have worked almost exclusively as a studio portraitist early in his career, Benson would eventually take up painting outdoors and play with capturing natural light. His attention turned from portraits to sporting themes, as seen in this later work, by which time he had begun expanding his medium to include etching and drypoint prints.

Accession Number: 1985.51

Title: Log Driver

Date: 1924

Medium: Etching

Rights: Public domain

KEYWORDS

Impressionism; American; modern art; The Ten; sports; outdoor; intaglio printmaking.

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William Merritt Chase (American, 1849-1916)

Though not a founding member of the Ten, William Merritt Chase was invited to join the group after the death of John Henry Twatchman in 1902. Early in his career, Chase traveled to Europe, settling in Munich over Paris, and drawing great influence from the dramatic artistic styles of the Northern Old Masters. This print is a later reproduction made by Chase of one of his earlier paintings by the same name, completed during his time in Munich.

Accession Number: 1978.25.2

Title: Keying Up-the Court Jester

Date: 1879

Medium: Intaglio print

Rights: Public domain

KEYWORDS

Impressionism; American; modern art; The Ten; Northern Renaissance; chiaroscuro; intaglio printmaking.

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William Merritt Chase (American, 1849-1916)

William Merritt Chase gained attention as one of the most prominent figures of the New York art world during the turn of the century, establishing himself as a gifted artist and teacher. During the early 1880s, Chase updated his style and subjects, moving away from the aesthetics of Old Master paintings and towards a modernized body of work. This portrait, completed as an in-class quick study, demonstrates the influence of the French Impressionists and other compatriots, including John Singer Sargent and John McNeill Whistler.

Accession Number: 1967.19

Title: Young Woman With Red Flowers

Date: 1904

Medium: Oil on canvas

Rights: Public domain

KEYWORDS

Impressionism; American; modern art; The Ten; society portraits; quick study; genteel subjects. VIEW

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Childe Hassam (American, 1859-1935)

Childe Hassam was one of, if not the most, prolific and celebrated practitioner among the American Impressionists. Out of all the members of the Ten, Hassam’s work most closely resembled that of the French Impressionists, with particular influence by Claude Monet. His paintings of burgeoning cities, particularly New York City, captured the urban excitement of the day with careful attention to light and atmosphere. This subject matter set him apart from this fellow Ten members though, as seen here, he also produced images of the countryside.

Accession Number: 2017.8.2

Title: Country Road

Date: 1891

Medium: Pastel on canvas

Rights: Public domain

KEYWORDS

Impressionism; American; modern art; The Ten; landscape; idealism; light. VIEW

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Childe Hassam (American, 1859-1935)

Despite being best known for his cityscape paintings, Hassam spent many of his summers on Appledore Island, the largest of the Isles of Shoals off the coasts of Maine and New Hampshire. His paintings of the seaside cliffs and gardens at Shoals, of which there are over 300, are among his most well-known works. Through them, we can see how Hassam’s way of capturing the coastal towns of New England held a sense of picturesque nostalgia.

Accession Number: 1957.003.P

Title: Ironbound

Date: 1896

Medium: Oil on canvas

Rights: Public domain

KEYWORDS

Impressionism; American; modern art; The Ten; landscape; idealism; Appledore Island, Maine; seascape.

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John Henry Twachtman (American, 1853-1902)

The influence of studying at the Munich Royal Academy of Fine Arts is evident in the dark palette of John Henry Twachtman’s early works. The maturity of his use of color and light would evolve over his career, as the influence of the French Impressionists, the Barbizon School, and Tonalism, among others, led him to a lighter palette and a reduction of shapes. This painting captures Twachtman’s subtle tonalities with its hazy yellows, browns and whites—a hallmark of the Munich School.

Accession Number: 2022.30

Title: Winter in Cincinnati

Date: 1879-1882

Medium: Oil on panel

Rights: Public domain

KEYWORDS

Impressionism; American; modern art; The Ten; landscape; tonalism; Barbizon School. VIEW

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Ernest Lawson (American, 1873-1939)

This work by Guillermo Galindo consist of assemblage instruments created from objects left behind by immigrants while trying to cross the USMexico border, and highlight the human aspect of the immigration crisis. The title, Ropófono is a play on words composed of the Spanish ropa (clothes) and gramófono (gramophone), suggesting that the clothing that makes up the piece can tell (or sing) the stories of those who once wore the garments while attempting to enter the US.

Accession Number: 1996.1

Title: Bend in the River

Date: 1906

Medium: Oil on panel

Rights: Public domain

KEYWORDS

Impressionism; American; modern art; second generation; winter; cityscape; impasto; The Eight; Manhattan. VIEW

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Edgar Degas (French, 1834-1917)

The most celebrated Impressionist artist of American nationality is Mary Cassatt. She moved to Paris in and worked alongside the French Impressionists, lending a uniquely female lens. Cassatt’s approach to themes of everyday life explored the domestic sphere, often focusing on the bond between mother and child. She developed a close friendship with the French Impressionist Edouard Degas, best known for his candid portraits of ballerinas. Here we see an etching made by Degas of Cassat and her sister during an outing at the Louvre in Paris.

Accession Number: 1992.08.18

Title: Mary Cassatt in the Louvre

Date: 1885

Medium: Etching, aquatint, dry point on china paper