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

By Michelle Powell


Decorating your walls with good artwork is a great way to create a unique and inviting ambience in a room while making a solid statement about your taste and interests. Not everyone can afford expensive originals, but it is possible to purchase good reproductions. You may have already decided modern art is not your style and are more inclined to the paintings of Impressionists. If you want to showcase American art, and still enjoy this genre, you can buy some great Impressionist prints that represent some of the best examples of American art.

Many people are happy just to hang a print and enjoy it without knowing anything about the work or the artist. Others are interested in understanding the background and history surrounding the genres they prefer. John Breck, for instance, is credited with bringing French Impressionism to America. After a visit to France, he opened his own exhibit in Boston just before the turn of the twentieth century. William Chase painted "en plein air" and founded what is now Parsons School of Design.

Childe Hassam, the most famous of the American Impressionists, painted in watercolor and oil. His street scenes of flags flying over New York City during the Second World War showcase his style of painting utilizing vivid colors and broken brush strokes. This style is similar to Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro of France.

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.

Understanding the background behind the paintings and drawings you select for your home makes them more special. It should give everyone who enjoys them an appreciation of the effort it took to be an artist at that time. Your artwork may not be original, but it can be interesting and a pleasure to own.




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