On the Beach - Masterpiece Jigsaw Puzzle
William Merritt Chase (American 1849-1916)
Laurel Ink 500 piece puzzles measure 18" x 24".
Retail $12.95

On the Beach - Masterpiece Jigsaw Puzzle
William Merritt Chase (American 184901916) (from back of puzzle box)
In the late 1800's American public art exhibits were arranged by established art societies. Some of these society members became dissatisfied with the trend of huge art shows exhibiting too many works, all of which varied on both quality and style. Ten of these artists, including Frank W. Benson, Frederick Childe Hassam, Edmund Tarbell and Robert Reid, seceded from the established society in 1898, forming their own loose-knit organization.

This group, which became known as the Ten American Painters, was committed to an Impressionistic aesthetic. Their goal was to exhibit their works in a manner that was comfortable, harmonious, and selective. They mounted small annual shows of their own works, being careful to ensure compatibility among the paintings shown. Although the "Ten" came together in their similarity, a surprising diversity existed within the group.

From 1898 until 1817, the Ten American Painters exhibited annually in New York, and their exhibits were well received by both the art critics and the general public. Their final exhibition was a special showing in the winter of 1917-18 at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C. A review in the Washington Star acknowledged that the "Ten" had "exerted a strong and beneficent influence upon the development of American Art.

Although William Merritt Chase was not one of the original Ten American Painters, he was elected to the group after on of its founding members passed away. Chase has since become the most well known artist to participate in the "Ten", and his works are some of the most enduring in their popularity.

Chase was born in rural Indiana in 1849. He began painting portraits in his teens, which earned him modest local patronage. Encouraged by this success, he made his way to New York, studying at the National Academy of Design, followed by studies and work in Munich. He returned to New York in 1878 and began his teaching career. Through his annual summer art school, begun in 1891, Chase introduced many students to the plein-air method of painting. He taught for 36 years, and was tremendously popular with students and art patrons alike.

Chase considered himself a realist. At times, however, his technique was extremely close to Impressionism - especially during the 1890's when he was most involved in summer outdoor teaching. While he never affiliated himself with Impressionism, he did study and learn from its techniques to bring a heightened level of expressiveness to his realistic style. Over the course of his career, he worked in many mediums - oil, watercolor, pastel, and etching - and painted portraits, landscapes, and still lifes. He was one the first artists to paint Impressionistic landscapes in the United States.

The Painting On the Beach is an example of Chase's inclination to choose images in which public venues are treated as though they are intimate living spaces. Although the figures are clearly on a public beach, Chase makes us feel as though we are viewing them in a private setting. His loose treatment of the sand and water reflect an Impressionistic tendency, while his subtly defined subjects maintain an air of realism.

New: packaged/shrink wrapped 14"x14" boxed.

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