American Impressionism: Painting the New World

What happened when French Impressionism crossed the Atlantic?

In the late 19th century, a group of American artists embraced the radical brushwork and luminous colour of the French avant-garde but gave it a distinctly American flavour. Their canvases captured sunlit verandas, boating scenes, blooming gardens and quiet interiors.

This talk explores the work of the American impressionists, including William Merritt Chase, Childe Hassam and Frank Benson. It considers their European training, their rejection of academic formality and their creation of a new visual language that balanced modern technique with national identity.

Was this a faithful continuation of Impressionism, or something entirely new?