Description
One of the most influential of the American Impressionists, William Merritt Chase established his own summer school at Shinnecock, on the eastern tip of Long Island, New York. Attracted to the low-lying dunes and beaches, Chase and his students were among the first American artists to pursue open-air painting. With its varied brushwork and warm colors, this painting is among the finest works Chase produced at Shinnecock. The panoramic scene glows with the light of a summer day. The Chase school at Shinnecock, active from 1891-1902, was instrumental in expanding the influence of Impressionism in the United States.
Provenance
Mr. W. H. Fuller, purchase 1896; Henry White Cannon, New York.
Accession Number
1938.333
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
Framed: 134.3 x 159.7 x 10.8 cm (52 7/8 x 62 7/8 x 4 1/4 in.); Unframed: 101.5 x 127 cm (39 15/16 x 50 in.); Former: 118.5 x 144 x 5.5 cm (46 5/8 x 56 11/16 x 2 3/16 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon
Tags
Color: Yellow
Background & Context
Background Story
William Merritt Chase's "The Old Road to the Sea" (c. 1893) is an oil on canvas landscape that showcases the artist's virtuosic brushwork and his sensitivity to the effects of light and atmosphere. Chase (1849–1916) was one of the most influential American artists of his generation—a brilliant painter, a charismatic teacher, and a central figure in the American Impressionist movement. This painting likely depicts a coastal scene, probably on Long Island where Chase maintained a summer home and teaching studio. The "road to the sea" leads the viewer's eye through a landscape of sand, scrub, and sky toward a distant glimpse of water. Chase's technique is characteristically bold: thick impasto, confident brush strokes, and a high-keyed palette that captures the brightness of the seaside. He was deeply influenced by both the Munich School (where he trained) and French Impressionism, and his style synthesized the bravura brushwork of the former with the luminous color of the latter. As a teacher at the Art Students League and founder of the Shinnecock Hills Summer School, Chase shaped a generation of American artists, and his landscapes defined the American Impressionist aesthetic.
Cultural Impact
Chase was the leading figure in American Impressionism and the most influential art teacher of his generation, shaping American painting through both his own work and his instruction of artists like Georgia O'Keeffe and Rockwell Kent.
Why It Matters
"The Old Road to the Sea" captures Chase at the height of his powers, combining European-trained technique with a distinctly American subject—the luminous, windswept coast of Long Island—in a work of effortless beauty.
