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| Childe Hassam |
| 1859-1935 |
| American Artist |
| Hassam was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts. In Boston during his late teens, he was apprenticed to a wood engraver but was soon privately studying art. After visiting Europe he sought formal instruction at the Academie Julian. It was in Paris that he became exposed to and assimilated many of the tenets of French Impressionism. Returning to America in 1889, Hassam settled in New York City, where he pursued his interest in Impressionism. While the artist was inspired by the French Impressionists and adopted many of their techniques, he was not concerned with the scientific basis of Impressionism. Hassam painted outdoors in order to capture the natural light of his subjects, but unlike the French artists he finished most of his paintings in his studio. At the time of his death in 1935, Hassam was well known for his Impressionist style of painting. However, the subjects of his paintings are purely American. Whatever his subjects--cityscapes, landscapes, or flags--Hassam's art is distinctly American Impressionism. |
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