William Merritt Chase

The Big Brass Bowl, about 1899

oil on canvas

35 x 40 inches

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William Merritt Chase was a versatile painter of landscapes, portraits and still lifes.  In fact, he was widely esteemed as the foremost American still-life painter of his era.  Born in Nineveh, Indiana, Chase spent a short period as a pupil of Barton Stone Hays, an Indianapolis portrait painter.  He continued his studies in New York at the National Academy.  Later he traveled extensively in Europe after studying in Munich.  In 1878, he returned to New York where he made his home.  He exerted great influence upon the younger American painters through his teaching.  Although his approach was realistic, he invested everything with a particular life and charm.

Chase was widely esteemed as the foremost American still-life artist of his era. He was also a rapid painter, usually finishing a still life in less than a day.  This broadly painted and carefully balanced composition set against a dark background reflects Chase’s training in Munich during the 1870s. In the tabletop arrangement of fruit and vessels, the artist demonstrates the skill in suggesting texture and transcribing the behavior of light.  The reflections on the highly polished brass bowl reveal a murky image of Chase’s studio and may well be his attempt to suggest the presence of the artist.

Reference

Ronald Pisano. A Leading Spirit in American Art: William Merritt Chase, 1849-1916, Seattle: Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, 1983. ISBN-13: 978-0935558142