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Saturday, March 5, 2011

Saturday Salon: A Favorite Painting


Two paintings of goldfish bowls at windows by American Impressionist Frederick Childe Hassam (1859 - 1935). I think I favor the first one primarily because of the lavish use of yellow and green in the scene outside. Looks like the same woman maybe wearing the same dressing gown at the same window at different times of day. Good paintings for a day when spring can't get here soon enough for me. It's damp and chilly and gray outside. But these paintings are cheering me up considerably.












Frederick aka Childe Hassam created memorable works of immense charm. A prolific American Impressionist known for his celebratory 'American flag' paintings, he was fond of landscape, especially garden, coastal and beach scenes, as well as cityscapes and more intime indoor canvases. He paid great attention, in his indoor paintings, to room design, decorations and furnishings. It is this attention to that sort of detail, I think, that distinguishes and adds the intimate quality to his work.

Find out more:
You can read about Childe Hassam at the link above and also at the following link to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's overview/tour of Hassam's life and work.

12 comments:

  1. I love the use of darker light and shadow is the second one. All the details are sharper and I love the green outside.

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  2. Ryan: I love them both actually. Just one a teensy bit more than the other. Same as you. ;)

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  3. These are very lovely paintings. Had never heard of this artist, will check him out.

    The goldfish bowl reminds me of Matisse, who painted goldfish in a glass bowl in some of his paintings, one in particular which I recall.

    Also, I am reminded of two New York 20th century women artists: Jane Freilicher and Nell Blaine, who painted water colors, many of indoor scenes.

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  4. Yvette wonderful paintings!the light is amazing and the figure of the woman so charming!!!
    the spring will come Yvette!!!!
    Imagine.....in greece snows!!!!

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  5. Kathy: That's one of the great things about art, there's always a new discovery waiting to be made just around the bend - so to speak. I love the American Impressionists.

    Hassam did many indoor scenes, but he's also well known for his outdoor work as well. You'll see him again on my Saturday Salon, because I love a lot of his work.

    If your two artists have a google page, I'll find them. ;)

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  6. Martha: Are you in winter mode now? We've just come off one of the worst New Jersey winters on record. Hopefully we won't get any more snow until the end of this year. ;)

    Childe Hassam touched almost everything he did with charm. I love his work.

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  7. Gorgeous. I love representational art. How can the play of light, the colors, the images not transport me more than a bunch of monitors playing the same video in a huge room.

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  8. Patti: I am more or less with you on this. I know exactly what you mean. I dislike what so-called 'modern' art has become. Though I am a fan of the work of Pollock and a few of the other artists working around that time.

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  9. I too think its different times of the day but I could be wrong. This is a beautiful painting.

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  10. I will be seeing Hassam in April at the Met museum. I think it is Morning and afternoon
    check the lighting on the table. Yvonne

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  11. Yvonne: I love Childe Hassam. We should start a fan club. ;) I'll be featuring more of his paintings. Yes, it is morning and afternoon. The perspective is slightly different too. Lovely work.

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  12. Mystica: In my view, Hassam was a brilliant painter. I love the American branch of the Impressionist movement.

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