1887
oil
canvas
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
A City Park is a 1887 oil by William Merritt Chase, a American Impressionism work, held at Art Institute of Chicago.
William Merritt Chase painted a sunny park scene with benches, trees, and figures in hats. The brushstrokes are loose and bright, catching light on leaves and clothes. He worked outdoors, small canvases in hand. New York was growing fast when he painted this. Parks gave people space to relax and meet. Chase borrowed tricks from French painters—quick brushwork, bold colors. See how the tree shadows cut the light? Look up William Merritt Chase next.
In the late 1880s, William Merritt Chase painted a series of works focused on the public parks of Brooklyn and Manhattan, including A City Park . Amid rapid growth in New York and other US cities, such green spaces offered respite as well as novel venues for social activity. Inspired by the works of French Impressionism, Chase experimented with dramatic spatial effects, open brushwork, and a high-keyed palette. The composition’s small scale suggests that the artist painted the canvas outdoors, opting for portable materials to work on-site in an urban setting.
William Merritt Chase, New York, from 1887 to 1891; Renaissance Gallery, Philadelphia, by 1950; Graham Gallery, New York City, 1950; Dr. John Jay Ireland, Chicago, 1956; bequeathed to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1968.
Rochester Art Club, Ninth Annual Exhibition of the Rochester Art Club , May 22–June 2, 1888, cat. 10, as A City Park , lent by William Merritt Chase. Paris, Exposition Universelle , May 5–Oct. 31, 1889, cat. 49, as Un Parc de Ville , lent by William Merritt Chase. New York, Fifth Avenue Art Galleries, Auction of Paintings by William Merritt Chase , Mar. 6, 1891, cat. 31, as A City Park . Southampton, NY, Parish Art Museum, William Merritt Chase in the Company of Friends , May 13–June 24, 1979, cat. 8, as A City Park . Seattle, Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, William Merritt Chase…
Read the full account in the museum source.
William Merritt Chase (November 1, 1849 – October 25, 1916) was an American painter, known as an exponent of Impressionism and as a teacher.
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