The Little Pond, Appledore
1890
oil
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
1890
oil
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
You see a quiet pond ringed by tall grasses, wildflowers, and a few birch trees under a soft summer sky. Hassam painted this on Appledore Island, where artists and writers gathered in the 1890s. The loose, bright brushstrokes show how he brought French Impressionism back home—no sharp lines, just light and color blending like a memory. If you like this, look up *impasto*—the thick, buttery way he layered paint to make the flowers pop.
