Eye Candy for Today: William Merritt Chase Shinnecock landscape

Landscape: Shinnecock, Long Island, William Merritt Chase

Landscape: Shinnecock, Long Island, William Merritt Chase (details)

Landscape: Shinnecock, Long Island, William Merritt Chase

Link is to the painting in the collection of the Princeton University Art Museum, which has zoomable and downloadable version of the image on their website. There is also a downloadable image on Wikimedia Commons.

I have long been an admirer of the paintings of the 19th century American artist William Merritt Chase, for his portraits, interiors, still life and landscapes. Among his landscapes are a series of wonderful paintings from his summers living and teaching in the Shinnecock Hills area of eastern Long Island, New York.

These depict gently rolling hills and dunes covered in wildflowers, dune grasses and scrubby bushes, which Chase rendered with his beautifully textural variation on the loosely related styles that are together known as “American Impressionism”. The compositions often included members of Chase’s family, idyllically enjoying the summer sun and sea breezes.

I have found the character of the landscape in those paintings particularly interesting, as it’s quite unlike the shore areas and beaches I’m more familiar with in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and western Long Island.

I finally got to see some of the area where Chase lived and painted over the last few days on a mini-vacation to the area around Amaganssett, East Hampton and Montauk, on the far eastern end of Long Island, and somewhat east of where Chase had his summer home and school.

I found it fascinatingly different not just from beach areas elsewhere, but from any other place I’ve been — quite beautiful and not surprisingly an inspiration for Chase and his students.

 
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedin

10 Replies to “Eye Candy for Today: William Merritt Chase Shinnecock landscape”

  1. “William Merritt Chase: Praised by critics, admired by colleagues and respected by students, the distinguished 19th-century artist produced paintings and pastels of gentle beauty”.

    Thank you for sharing, Charley!

    BTW, Chase poduced 120 still-life paintings of which only ten flowers.

  2. Lovely. I want to be there. I can smell the flowers and the ocean breeze. I would have my big hat on too, and be crouched down taking photos of the beetles and other tiny critters.

  3. It’s okay, Charley, if you haven’t repeated yourself, many of us wouldn’t have
    heard of Chase and/or his Fish. And made Larry’s day.
    Some people have an elephant’s memory. They never forget.

Comments are closed.