Wednesday, August 2, 2017

You Can Decorate Your Home With Impressionist Prints And Still Support American Artists

By Michelle Powell


If you are decorating a new house or redecorating one you already own, deciding what to put on the walls is important. You may be concerned that original artwork is too expensive. If this is the case, you can always decorate with interesting and attractive reproductions, like Impressionist prints. It is also possible to display work done by Americans during this period. Your guests may be surprised to learn that there was an American Impressionist movement.

The works you choose will be much more special if you learn something about the period which they represent. Impressionism, for instance, is considered to have been introduced to America by John Breck. After visiting France, he opened his first Boston exhibit at the end of the nineteenth century. Frank Benson painted in the French open air style as did William Chase. Chase established what is today Parsons School of Design.

Experts consider Childe Hassam the most well known of American Impressionists. His flag paintings and street scenes made him a familiar figure to the art world during the Second World War. Painting in oil and watercolor, his work is reminiscent of Monet and Pissarro.

When you think about famous female artists of this time period, Mary Cassett is the name most people come up with. Cassett was born in Pennsylvania and went to Europe in her early twenties. She studied and painted in Paris eventually catching the eye of famed artist, Edgar Degas. She is most known for her depictions of women in everyday life. They might be shopping, eating lunch with friends or playing with their children.

James Whistler, the great painter best known to many for the painting familiarly referred to as Whistler's Mother, spent a great deal of time in France. He became lifelong friends with Monet. Whistler, not interested in copying the style of the French Impressionists, developed his own. Instead of vivid color he preferred more muted tones and scenes depicting everyday life.

Casual art enthusiasts may consider Impressionism more a continental movement than an American one, but you can point out to guests, that the American Impressionists have a very distinctive style. The New England coastline was a popular subject matter for many of this genre. The subject matter of American artists is never mistaken for anywhere but America.

Ironbound Island, Maine was a popular destination for a lot of American Impressionists. The Blaney family owned it and welcomed such renowned painters as John Singer Sargent and Childe Hassam. The Blaneys were great supporters of the arts.

Once you decide which artists, subject matter, color palettes, and styles you like the best, looking for reproductions that reflect them becomes a lot of fun, even though it can be challenging. You don't have to choose the most famous paintings by individual artists. You may find you like the lesser known works the best.




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