Childe (Frederick) Hassam
Dorchester, Massachusetts, 1859 – 1935, Long Island, New York
Fredrick Childe Hassam was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1859. At fifteen Hassam became the apprentice to wood engraver, George E. Johnston. From the late 1870’s to the mid- 1880’s Hassam worked as a staff artist and pursued commercial projects and assignments, eventually becoming a free-lance illustrator. He had a long association with Daniel Lothrop and Co., a Boston firm for which he illustrated numerous books.
Around 1878, Hassam began to take formal lessons in drawing and painting. During this time he displayed a preference for the new realism, an approach to art which shunned idealism and in which subjects are portrayed in a straightforward manner. The few oil paintings Hassam produced during his early career, thickly painted landscapes, reflect the influence of the French Barbizon school. Although Hassam showed an interest in oils, his early artistic career was distinguished by his watercolors.
In 1883 Hassam, along with friend and fellow artist, Edmund H. Garrett, embarked on a journey to Europe. The time spent in Europe allowed Hassam to paint numerous watercolors and to study the work of the Barbizon School and the English landscape artist, J. M. W. Turner. Over sixty of Hassam’s watercolors from his trip were exhibited in Boston in 1884. Hassam’s paintings of 1884-86 introduce a keen interest in the effects of atmosphere while employing a tonalist style.
Eager to learn more about the Impressionist movement, Hassam, and his wife, Maude, deaprted for Paris in 1886. While in Paris, Hassam enrolled in the Academie Julian, where he studied drawing and painting from life. But Hassam’s painting continued to shift away from the academic, and he eventually developed a more fluid, painterly brushstroke and a brighter palette. After living in Paris for three years, the Hassams returned to Boston in 1889, eventually moving to New York where they would reside for the remainder of their lives. While in New York, Hassam was a member of many artistic clubs and organizations and founded the New York Watercolor Club.
During the 1890’s Hassam painted many of New York’s famous sights. His style during these years reflects an Impressionist influence, employing an in-depth study of light. Unlike many of the French Impressionists, however, Hassam’s brush never completely distorts the image. Shortly after his third and final trip to Europe, Hassam returned to New York and joined a group of artists known as the Ten. The Ten, influenced by Impressionism, broke away from the strict rules and narrow-minded perspectives of the Society of American Artists and exhibited their work together during the follwing twenty years. In 98 the group ended their association and the latter years of Hassam’s life were spent engaged in etchings and engravings. Childe Hassam died in August of 1935.
Fredrick Childe Hassam was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1859. At fifteen Hassam became the apprentice to wood engraver, George E. Johnston. From the late 1870’s to the mid- 1880’s Hassam worked as a staff artist and pursued commercial projects and assignments, eventually becoming a free-lance illustrator. He had a long association with Daniel Lothrop and Co., a Boston firm for which he illustrated numerous books.
Around 1878, Hassam began to take formal lessons in drawing and painting. During this time he displayed a preference for the new realism, an approach to art which shunned idealism and in which subjects are portrayed in a straightforward manner. The few oil paintings Hassam produced during his early career, thickly painted landscapes, reflect the influence of the French Barbizon school. Although Hassam showed an interest in oils, his early artistic career was distinguished by his watercolors.
In 1883 Hassam, along with friend and fellow artist, Edmund H. Garrett, embarked on a journey to Europe. The time spent in Europe allowed Hassam to paint numerous watercolors and to study the work of the Barbizon School and the English landscape artist, J. M. W. Turner. Over sixty of Hassam’s watercolors from his trip were exhibited in Boston in 1884. Hassam’s paintings of 1884-86 introduce a keen interest in the effects of atmosphere while employing a tonalist style.
Eager to learn more about the Impressionist movement, Hassam, and his wife, Maude, deaprted for Paris in 1886. While in Paris, Hassam enrolled in the Academie Julian, where he studied drawing and painting from life. But Hassam’s painting continued to shift away from the academic, and he eventually developed a more fluid, painterly brushstroke and a brighter palette. After living in Paris for three years, the Hassams returned to Boston in 1889, eventually moving to New York where they would reside for the remainder of their lives. While in New York, Hassam was a member of many artistic clubs and organizations and founded the New York Watercolor Club.
During the 1890’s Hassam painted many of New York’s famous sights. His style during these years reflects an Impressionist influence, employing an in-depth study of light. Unlike many of the French Impressionists, however, Hassam’s brush never completely distorts the image. Shortly after his third and final trip to Europe, Hassam returned to New York and joined a group of artists known as the Ten. The Ten, influenced by Impressionism, broke away from the strict rules and narrow-minded perspectives of the Society of American Artists and exhibited their work together during the follwing twenty years. In 98 the group ended their association and the latter years of Hassam’s life were spent engaged in etchings and engravings. Childe Hassam died in August of 1935.
(American, 1859 – 1935)
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