Description: William Merritt Chase
American, 1849-1916)
Portrait of Gentleman
Signed Wm M. Chase. (top right)
Pastels on canvas.
painting size: 20 x 14 inches, frame size: 25 x 19 inches.

Biography from the Archives of askART

Biography photo for William Merritt Chase
A native Midwesterner, William Merritt Chase became one of the more revered figures in American art because of his painting abilities and skills at conveying them to other artists. Described as the "single most important teacher of his generation, perhaps in all of American art education" (Gerdts 135), he was not committed to any one style of painting and basically considered himself a realist. He utilized elements of various styles including Tonalism, Impressionism, and Realism, and his willingness to grow and change with an evolving art world, he aligned himself with progressive groups including the Society of American Artists in New York.

William Chase was very much a dedicated plein-air painter, described by art historian Prudence Pfeiffer as the most influential American artist working at the end of the 19th century who painted "en plein aire". Chase said: "I don't believe in making pencil sketches and then painting your landscape in your studio. You must be right under the sky." (Pfeiffer)

Chase was born in Franklin, Indiana to Sarah Swaim and David Hester Chase, and in 1861, the family moved to Indianapolis where he took private lessons from a local teacher, Benjamin Hayes. He then studied art at the National Academy in New York with Lemuel Wilmarth and privately with Joseph Oriel Eaton. He also spent a brief time in St. Louis, Missouri where his teacher was Munich-trained John Mulvaney.

Observing his talent, four St. Louis men sponsored a trip for Chase to Munich to learn the then popular bravura style of painting at the Royal Academy. He was there from 1872 to 1878, and distinguished himself with honors and was even offered a position at the Academy, which he declined. His good friends were Frank Duveneck and John Twachtman, a threesome that traveled and painted together in Venice.

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