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Lot Essay
In the spring of 1886, Childe Hassam left his studio in Boston to spend three years in Paris. Like many other American artists, Hassam was attracted by the excitement surrounding the French Impressionists and decided to enroll in the famous Académie Julian to sharpen his skills. While he soon discovered that the routine of school was stifling to his own creativity, the move to Paris was nonetheless a transformative experience. Coaching Scene, Paris was painted during this first sojourn to France, where Hassam’s exposure to the Impressionist sensibility shaped the rest of his oeuvre.
While Hassam was living in Boston during his early career, he subscribed to the principles of tonalism. Concentrating on painting the effects of atmosphere, he created realistic, low-keyed images of Boston streets in twilight, on a rainy day or illuminated by artificial light. Hassam recalled, “In Boston, among [my] earliest subjects were the city streets...scenes with wet pavements, which they say I invented. Nobody had ever done that before. [The reflections on] the asphalt appealed to me.” (as quoted in D.F. Hoopes, Childe Hassam, New York, 1982, p. 22) This fascination is reflected in the present work, though it is imbued with a new liveliness of brushwork that reflects his studies abroad.
Indeed, during his time in Paris, Hassam’s style absorbed various tenets of Impressionism and shifted away from the more static approach evident in the earlier Boston works. Utilizing the city environs of Paris, the present work depicts Hassam’s innovative employment of Impressionist techniques together with his unique sense of urban realism. In an interview with A.E. Ives reflecting on his style, Hassam summarized, “Art, to me, is the interpretation of the impression which nature makes upon the eye and brain. The word 'impression' as applied to art has been used, and in the general acceptance of the term has become perverted. It really means the only truth because it means going straight to nature for inspiration, and not allowing tradition to dictate to your brush, or to put brown, green or some other colored spectacles between you and nature as it really exists. The true impressionism is realism.” (as quoted in “Talks with Artists: Childe Hassam on Painting Street Scenes,” Art Amateur, vol. XXVII , October 1892, p. 117)
While Hassam was living in Boston during his early career, he subscribed to the principles of tonalism. Concentrating on painting the effects of atmosphere, he created realistic, low-keyed images of Boston streets in twilight, on a rainy day or illuminated by artificial light. Hassam recalled, “In Boston, among [my] earliest subjects were the city streets...scenes with wet pavements, which they say I invented. Nobody had ever done that before. [The reflections on] the asphalt appealed to me.” (as quoted in D.F. Hoopes, Childe Hassam, New York, 1982, p. 22) This fascination is reflected in the present work, though it is imbued with a new liveliness of brushwork that reflects his studies abroad.
Indeed, during his time in Paris, Hassam’s style absorbed various tenets of Impressionism and shifted away from the more static approach evident in the earlier Boston works. Utilizing the city environs of Paris, the present work depicts Hassam’s innovative employment of Impressionist techniques together with his unique sense of urban realism. In an interview with A.E. Ives reflecting on his style, Hassam summarized, “Art, to me, is the interpretation of the impression which nature makes upon the eye and brain. The word 'impression' as applied to art has been used, and in the general acceptance of the term has become perverted. It really means the only truth because it means going straight to nature for inspiration, and not allowing tradition to dictate to your brush, or to put brown, green or some other colored spectacles between you and nature as it really exists. The true impressionism is realism.” (as quoted in “Talks with Artists: Childe Hassam on Painting Street Scenes,” Art Amateur, vol. XXVII , October 1892, p. 117)