Chase Impressionist Movement

William Merritt Chase (1849 –1916), a prolific artist from Illinois who trained first in New York and then in Munich, became a key American artist in the Impressionist movement. Often, Chase was unfairly overlooked because of his contemporaries, yet Chase was deserving of the same repute as he was “equally capable and talented” as some of the most famous expatriate artists of the time, such as John Singer Sargent, James McNeill Whistler, or Mary Cassatt. When viewing such works as Mrs. Chase in Prospect Park, it is clear to see that he merited more recognition as an artist who was truly unique and progressive during an already incredibly innovative movement.
In order to comprehend the many facets of Chase’s work, it is helpful to examine one of his paintings. Chase’s work is obviously a product of the movement in which he was a part of; many of the characteristics of the Impressionist movement are apparent in his work. What makes Chase so singular and intriguing, however, are the subtle variations in his work that, though evasive, are distinguishing characteristics. Additionally, the elements of his work that paid tribute to the past masters are evident. This is not to say that he was not revolutionary, however, for he was a part of “a period of transition…having indeed greatly helped to inaugurate it” ,

Unlike many of the expatriate artists of the time, Chase went to study in Munich instead of Paris, where he looked to the past for inspiration and “adopted the sturdy, direct brushwork, muddy palette, and realism influenced by Frans Hals and Diego Velázquez,” which became characteristic of his work. What is most obvious in Mrs. Chase in Prospect Park is this darker palette, for nearly the entire painting is composed of variations of brown and green, with black and white to break up the murky