New England Headlands

Description

This panoramic landscape depicts one of Childe Hassam’s favorite destinations: Gloucester, Massachusetts. During the summer months Gloucester was home to many artists, who, like Hassam, chose to emphasize its picturesque aspects, such as its quaint buildings and sailing vessels, rather than its fish-processing plants. The composition exhibits Hassam’s broken brushwork and his use of bare canvas, particularly in the foreground. Bright, saturated blues and crisp whites add to the maritime tenor of the work, while the square canvas highlights its architectural quality and harmoniously organized space.

Provenance

Macbeth Galleries, New York City, by 1919; Paul Schulze, Chicago, from 1919 to 1930; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1930.

New England Headlands

Childe Hassam

1899

Accession Number

5349

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

68.9 × 68.9 cm (27 1/8 × 27 1/8 in.)

Classification

painting

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Walter H. Schulze Memorial Collection