Year 1903 (1903) Artist Childe Hassam Media Oil paint | Medium oil on canvas Created 1903 | |
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Dimensions 74 cm × 91 cm (29 in × 36 in) Location Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, Indiana Owner Indianapolis Museum of Art Periods American Impressionism, Impressionism Similar Artwork at Indianapolis Museum of Art, Oil paintings | ||
Cliff Rock - Appledore is an oil painting by American artist Childe Hassam, painted in 1903. It is currently part of the permanent collection at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.
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Description
Inspired by the French impressionists of the time, Childe painted vibrant, colorful lines filled with action and movement. The varying brushstrokes and loose handling of the medium, Childe shows his confident free handling. Blue ocean reflects onto the large, sun-bleached rock, while Childe’s open strokes leads the viewer’s eye back into the painting, off into the distance to the shores beyond, which are barely hinted at with lines of cream and green. Through the broken brushstrokes, Childe’s desire for realism shines through with his use of shadows and broken reflection of the water.
Historical information
Hassam, like many American painters at the turn of the century, studied in Paris, France for three years. He adopted the impressionist style as his own, and worked closely with other American Impressionists such as Mary Cassatt. Childe is often hailed as a pure example of the American Impressionist movement.
A native New Endlander, Childe heavily favored the New England area for his work, and spent his time painting much of the Atlantic Coast. This shore is the shore of Appledore, one of the nine islands that make up the Isles of Shoals, located off the coasts of New Hampshire and Maine. Appledore was the location of a small artist colony.
Acquisition
Cliff Rock - Appledore was purchased at its inaugural exhibition in 1906 by the John Herron Art Fund.