At the Seaside

After studying in Munich, William Merritt Chase settled in New York in the mid-1870s and became the most important American teacher of his generation, teaching at the Art Students’ League of New York and later at his own Chase School of Art. Chase was an early proponent of plein air (open air) painting. His loose brushwork and bold use of color were very influential in turn-of-the-century America. From 1891 to 1902, Chase served as director of the Shinnecock Hills Summer School of Art in the town of Southampton on Long Island, New York. He taught two days each week and spent the rest of his time painting and enjoying the company of his family. In this canvas, women and children take their ease close to the edge of a beach—probably along Shinnecock Bay.