18. Frederick Childe Hassam, American, 1859-1935. Fifth Avenue, c. 1919. Oil on canvas, 61.3 x 51.5 cm. Gift of Mrs. Myron E. Merry, 1952.539

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, American artists began to react to impressionism and post-impressionism. Unlike their European counterparts, American artists did not dissolve their subject matter so thoroughly into an array of brush strokes, but tended to retain an object's solid form and delineation. Nevertheless, many of the new ideas took root in America, especially the interest in the interaction of light and color.

Childe Hassam's Fifth Avenue is a romantic interpretation of busy New York streets early in the century. By obscuring the hard, sharp edges of the towering buildings, Hassam has created a soft and beautiful view of the city. Various tones of blue soften the busy street scene, while rectangular brush strokes dissolve into hundreds of faceless people moving up Fifth Avenue. The high vantage point of the painting suggests the insignificance of individuals in a modern city.

Hassam was born in 1859 in Dorchester (now part of Boston), Massachusetts. At the age of 18, he began a career as a book illustrator before devoting his life to painting. His early cityscapes of 1885-87 are reminiscent of the style of the juste-milieu ("middle of the road") artists of France, whose style of painting was both naturalistic and romantic. Following other American artists of the late 19th century, in 1887 Hassam enrolled at the Académie Julian in Paris to study drawing. Inspired by the French impressionists, his Paris street scenes show the lightening of his palette.

After a two-year stay in France, Hassam returned to the United States and settled in New York, claiming it to be one of "the most beautiful cities in the world." This rising metropolis, with its rapidly growing population, industry, and skyscrapers, was the subject of many of Hassam's paintings. However, the modern look of New York City did not interest him as much as its spirit and the light reflecting off the new skyscrapers. While the artist was inspired by the French impressionists and adopted many of their techniques, he was not concerned with the scientific basis of impressionism. Hassam painted outdoors in order to capture the natural light of his subjects, but unlike the French artists he finished most of his paintings in his studio. Stylistically, Fifth Avenue is similar to Claude Monet's painting in its soft palette, hazy atmosphere, and discernible brush stroke.

At the time of his death in 1935, Hassam was well known for his impressionist style of painting. However, the subjects of his paintings are purely American. Whatever his subjects--cityscapes, landscapes, or flags--Hassam's art is distinctly American impressionism.

Vivian Kung and Patricia Richmond
Teacher Resource Center
Department of Education and Public Programs

© 1997 The Cleveland Museum of Art