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William Merritt Chase and the French connection

Magazine Antiques, July, 2000 by Barbara Dayer Gallati

Two apparently unrelated art exhibitions took place in the United States in 1886: Works in Oil and Pastel by the Impressionists of Paris in New York City, and Exhibition of Pictures. Studies and Sketches by Mr. Wm. M. Chase in Boston. [1] Linking them was the sponsor of both exhibitions: the American Art Association in New York City, which was run by James F. Sutton (1842 or 1843-1915), who, at the time, was trying to open the American market to French impressionist art. [2] This essay is a brief consideration of the relationship between Sutton's effort to stimulate American taste for the French impressionists, the critical reception of the New York exhibition, and the impact both had on Chase's career.

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Chase was an established artist closely identified with the New York City art community, and why he had his first one-man exhibition in Boston under the aegis of Sutton's American Art Association has never been explained. However, it is clear that the painter chose this occasion to display a new phase of his art that soon aligned him with French impressionism in the minds of the critics and public. He showed 138 works in a variety of genres and mediums, effectively confirming belief in his artistic versatility and "industry little short of marvelous." [3]

The titles of a significant number of paintings in the display attested to his new interest in Brooklyn's parks and harbors, but these sketchily rendered works, painted during the summer of 1886, were largely unnoticed by reviewers, most likely because they were small and easily overshadowed by such canvases as his full-length portrait of James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) of 1885 (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City).

The unusual experimental nature of Chase's Brooklyn paintings is evident in the tiny, brightly colored, and freely executed Prospect Park (Pl. I), one of several works in the Boston exhibition to combine formal characteristics and urban themes in a manner roughly parallel to the work of the French impressionists. Chase's apparently sudden turn to this new aesthetic countered the commonly held perception that his artistic identity, although notably eclectic, was rooted in his Munich training as manifested in a dark tonal palette and rich alla prima brushwork. Interestingly, none of Chase's famous Munich paintings such as Ready for the Ride, of 1877 (Union League Club, New York City), An Unexpected Intrusion (also entitled The Turkish Page), of 1876 (Cincinnati Art Museum), or "Keying Up"--The Court Jester, of 1875 (Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia) were on view in Boston, although this was essentially a retrospective exhibition.

Chase's complex motives for redefining his artistic profile at this point in his career were mainly based on his need to reclaim the approval of critics who, over recent years, had castigated him for art that smacked of foreign training and subject matter. [4] Ironically, Chase relied heavily on his knowledge and appreciation of another foreign school, French impressionism, to Teposition his art. For this he incurred no criticism because of the growing popularity of impressionism in the United States at the time. Moreover, Chase did not simply adopt the formal features of impressionism but responded to its subject matter, which he translated into an American vernacular. Thus he reestablished his reputation as an innovative artist while creating a demonstrably American art. His success in so doing depended on an audience that could recognize the connection between his new manner and the style and subject matter of the French impressionists.

The impressionist exhibition that opened at the American Art Association in New York City in April 1886 helped guarantee Chase the audience he needed. It was New Yorkers' first chance to see French impressionist work in great numbers. The exhibition grew from Sutton's invitation to the Paris art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel (1831-1922) to display a large selection of impressionist art from his inventory. The 289 works that he sent to New York generated a flurry of critical attention, and after its scheduled two-week showing at the association it was moved to the National Academy of Design, where works from private American collections were added. [5] The exhibition was extraordinary for its size and status as a landmark in the context of introducing European avant-garde art to the United States. However, it has received little attention from historians of American art. This is the more surprising, for it is included in European histories of the period, and the scholar Hans Huth went so far as to equate it with th e 1913 Armory Show, now famed for bringing European modernism to American audiences. [6]

Chase was well acquainted with contemporary European art before 1886, having studied for nearly seven years in Munich and traveled to the various art capitals on the Continent. However, the 1886 exhibition in New York City may be considered the catalyst for his conversion to a style that clearly evoked French impressionism. The event made it possible for him to examine a large number of impressionist works at one time, and the many long press reviews of the show allowed him to identify the characteristics of this "new" art that were appropriate candidates for assimilation into his own aesthetic repertory. [7]

William Merritt Chase and the French connection

Magazine Antiques, July, 2000 by Barbara Dayer Gallati

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