Artists

Childe Hassam, known for most of his life simply as Childe, was one of America's foremost painters in the Impressionist style. Childe trained in his native Boston as a wood engraver, and later established himself as a freelance illustrator. While enrolled in life painting classes at the Boston Art Club, Childe met and befriended Edmund H. Garrett. It was Garrett who convinced Childe that a trip to Europe was in order, an opportunity for the relatively unexperienced artist to nurture his talent. The men traveled to several countries and Childe was hugely productive, completing almost seventy watercolors that would appear in his solo exhibition the following year. Hassam's interest in Impressionism was not immediate, but he became infatuated with the work of Claude Monet, and soon began experimenting with ideas of light, and impressions of movement. Childe became somewhat of a specialist in urban street scenes, drawing inspiration for some of his most enduring works from the cities he loved, Paris, New York, and Boston. Hassam employed his lush sense of color and flatness of form to convey complex scenes of light and motion. Though most prolific in watercolor, Childe also worked in oil, pastel, and pencil. He became a member of The Ten, a group of influential American artists whose work was tied by an interest in Impressionism. Other members in the group included Frank Benson, John Twachtman, and Willard Metcalf. These artists exhibited together, garnering acclaim and collectors around the United States. Hassam remained loyal to impressionism to the very end, even denouncing modern artistic trends.