The Old Road to the Sea

c. 1893

William Merritt Chase

(American, 1849–1916)

Culture

America

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

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.)

Credit Line

Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon 1938.333

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

Chase loved big dogs, variously owning a greyhound, a borzoi, and an Irish wolfhound.

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.