AN APPRECIATION: William Merritt Chase William Merritt Chase was a prominent American portrait painter in the second half of the 19th century. In addition, he followed a separate course taking a leading role in American Impressionism. At the same time, he was a teacher who helped develop young artists who would become leaders of American art in the first half of the 20th century.
Chase was born in Williamsburg, Indiana on November 1, 1849 but his family moved to Indianapolis in 1861. It was a rather Puritanical family that forbid William from such pursuits as playing cards, dancing and going to the theater. However, in an act of youthful rebellion, William not only went to the theater but secretly performed on stage. William also showed an early interest in art. However, his father did not see art as a viable career and required William to work as a salesman in the family shoe store. William did not have much interest in the work and spent most of his time drawing on the wrapping paper. To escape the show store and see the world, William decided to join the Navy. His father acquiesced and so William went to sea. However, he soon realized that this life was not for him and his father arranged for William to return to Indianapolis where he resumed his duties in the show store. Seeing that William was not going to be a businessman, his father arranged for William to study with local artist Benjamin Hayes. The artist realized William's talent and advocated to William's father that his son should go to New York City to study art in earnest. Once again, William's father agreed to finance his son's venture. In New York City, William studied at the National Academy of Design and in the studios of J.O. Eaton. The studies seemingly produced positive results as William was able to exhibit some of his works. However, as a result of his father's financial difficulties, William had to return to his family who were now living in St. Louis. While working in the family business, William continued to work on his art. he became known in the local artistic community and one of his works won a prize at an exhibition. William's talent impressed some local businessmen who agreed to sponsor William on a two-year trip to Europe to study art. In return, William agreed to paint their portraits and advise them on purchasing art for their collections. While most young artists of the period, given such an opportunity, elected to go to Paris study, Chase elected to study at the Royal Academy in Munich. Perhaps reflecting his strict upbringing, Chase felt there would be too many distractions in Paris. Chase spent six years in Munich developing a style based upon the works of Old Masters such as Rembrandt, Rubens, Hals and Velazquez. Following his studies in Munich, Chase spent time in Venice. Returning to the United States in 1878, Chase settled in New York City. He had already established something of a reputation as he had been sending works from Munich to the National Academy for exhibition. However, he undertook to build his image as an artist. He took space in the prestigious Tenth Street Studio Building, which had been designed by Richard Morris Hunt as studio space for artists. It had been the home of several of the artists of the Hudson River School and the space that Chase rented had been the studio of Alfred Bierstadt. Chase furnished the space with unusual collectibles and furnishings imported from exotic foreign locales. It soon became a popular venue not only with artists but with members of New York society anxious to have their portraits painted. To go along with his exotic studio, Chase took to dressing extravagantly. His clothes were dandified and were made of fine materials. His trademarks included a well-trimmed beard, glasses that hung from a ribbon and white spats. In short, like James McNeill Whistler, Chase cultivated an image of a somewhat eccentric but non-threatening artist. Chase's talent and his image brought him numerous commissions for society portraits. He apparently enjoyed doing portraits as when he was not working on a commission, he often did portraits of his wife (whom he had married in 1886) and their eight children as well as portraits of friends and acquaintances. His portrait style was based upon the Old Masters and were generally quite dark. In 1881, a friend, the Belgian painter Alfred Stevens, asked Chase why he tried to make all his canvases look like they were done by the Old Masters? The comment apparently struck home since thereafter, Chase began to pursue a second line with his art - - Impressionistic landscape painting. He had become aware of the work of Edouard Manet and the Impressionists during various trips that he had made to Europe. Building upon their work, Chase became a major force in creating American Impressionism. Favorite subjects included scenes of New York parks and the area around the family summer house at Shinnecock, Long Island. The landscapes are often populated with one or more figures. After first startling the critics, this line of Chase's art also became popular. In addition to producing art, Chase was very active in teaching art. He taught for many years at the Art Students League of New York but also taught at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art and the Brooklyn Art Association. He conducted his own summer school at Shinnecock and later opened the Chase School of Art in New York. Through various transformations, the Chase School evolved into the Parsons School of Design. Chase also led classes in Europe and California. Chased was adored by his students. Rather than requiring them to imitate his style, Chase encouraged his students to develop their own art making suggestions along the way. Among his students were artists who would develop such divergent styles as Edward Hopper and Georgia O'Keeffe. Towards the end of his career, Chase's popularity started to fade. Although he had once been part of the avant garde with his Impressionistic works, more abstract styles were starting to dominate the art world after the turn of the century. As a result, Chase was excluded from the landmark 1913 Armory Show of Modern Art. Still, Chase continued to actively paint and teach up until his death in 1916 from cirrhosis of the liver. |
Chase first established his reputation as a society portraitist but his love of portraits led him to create many portraits of friends and family. Above: Lydia Field Emmet. Below: Chase's wife Alice Gerson Chase.
Chase was a prominent artist and was recognized as such by other artists. During his several trips to Europe he met the famous ex-pat American artists John Singer Sargent, who painted Chase's portrait (above left) and James McNeill Whistler, whose portrait Chase painted (above right).
Above: "In The Studio." Chase carefully built his Manhattan studio to support his image as an acceptably Bohemian artist.
In addition to his traditional portraits, Chase was a leader in the American Impressionist movement. Above: "An Afternoon Stroll". Below: "A Sunny Day At Sinnecock Bay."
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Artist appreciation - William Merritt Chase