Julien Alden Wier

(1852-1919)

Julien Alden Wier was born on August 30, 1852, in West Point, New York. His father, Robert Walter Weir was a painter and instructor of art at Westpoint Academy. Julien first studied art at the National Academy of Design before traveling to France to study at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. When he was first introduced to Impressionism in France he reacted negatively, saying: "They do not observe drawing nor form but give you an impression of what they call nature."

In 1877 Weir returned to New York City, earning money through commissions and portraits, and by teaching at the Cooper Union Women's Art School. In 1880 he moved to Ridgefield, Connecticut, where he acquired farm property from his marriage to Anna Baker in 1883. During this time he became friends with John Henry Twatchman, and developed his American Impressionist style. See below his painting "On the Shore," painted around 1909, where one can see his unique brushwork, roughly describing the forms of the landscape. There is a lovely energy in this painting, which comes from the vibrant brushwork, laid down in patterns within the shapes that describe the tree leaves, the grass, and the rocks.

Also, see below his painting, "Afternoon by the Pond," painted around 1908, where one can see the same kind of energy in the brushwork of the leaves of the trees, forming almost flat graphic shapes which describe the space of the landscape.

See below his painting "Windham Village," painted around 1914.

See below his wonderfully Impressionistic painting "After the ride," painted in 1903.

And finally, see below one of his earlier works, a portrait painting, "Idle Hours," painted in 1888.

To see some of my paintings, click this link to go to My Website.

Henri Le Sidaner

(1862-1939)

Henri Le Sidaner was a French painter, who was interested in atmospheric light. His canvases, often somewhat monochromatic, are thoughtfully painted, describing forms with a soft, Impressionistic assembly of brushstrokes. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, under the tutelage of Alexandre Cabanel. See below Le Sidaner's painting "Boat on the Canal (Morning)," painted in 1900, where one can see his description of the soft light of fog at daybreak, and the glow of color and atmosphere in the early morning light.

Also, see below his painting "Le Table de Pierre Gerberoy," painted around 1910, where one can see his use of spots of color to describe the sparkling light of the scene before him.

And finally, see below his painting "Le Village de Autumne," painted around 1910, where one can see his technique of applying slightly varied monochromatic brushstrokes in soft patterns to describe the gentle light effects of the landscape.

Click this link to my website to see some of my My Impressionist Paintings.

William Merrit Chase

(1849-1916)

William Merritt Chase was born on November 1, 1849, in Nineveh, Indiana, but in 1861 Chase's father moved the family to Indianapolis, where William worked as a salesman in his father's business. In 1869 Chase moved to New York to study art and he enrolled in the National Academy of Design. Later, in 1870 he was forced to leave New York, due to his family's financial troubles, and moved with his family to Saint Louis, Missouri. While working to help support his family he exhibited his paintings and gained the attention of the local wealthy art patrons, who urged him to travel to Europe to further his artistic studies, which he did with their financial assistance. While in Europe Chase studied at the Academy of Fine Arts, in Munich, a school of high regard where many American students came to study painting. In 1878 he returned to the United States, opening a studio in the Tenth Street Studio Building, in New York. In addition to being a great painter, Chase was also quite a successful teacher, opening the Shinnecock Hills Summer School on eastern Long Island, in New York. Throughout his teaching career he would instruct many students who would later become well known artists, such as Charles Demuth, George Pearce Ennis, Marsden Hartley, George Marin, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Edward Hopper.

Chase liked to paint Plein Air, out in the landscape, and often taught his classes outdoors. His landscapes of the Shinnecock area are believed by art historians to be some of the finest examples of American Impressionism. See below a fine example of his work "A Sunny Day at Shinnecock Bay," painted in 1892.

Also, see below another example of his American Impressionist landscapes, "A Long Island Lake," painted in 1890.

Click this link so see some examples of my American Impressionist Paintings at my webpage of my Portfolio.

Edgar Payne

(1882-1947)

It was Edgar Payne's desire to become an artist from an early age. He began his career by painting murals for the theater, but as his career blossomed he developed his style as an artist, painting Plein Air in the natural California landscape, particularly the mountains, which he would access by the use of a pack horse. He had a great respect for nature and that feeling spoke through his work which exemplified the beauty and serenity of the landscapes which he painted.

In 1912 Edgar married his wife, Elsie Palmer, and they had a daughter Evelyn in 1914. Edgar earned his first major commission in the year of 1917, when the Santa Fe railroad asked him to do paintings of the Southwest, which led to some of his most memorable works of scenes of Yosemite, landscapes of the Four Corners area, and paintings of the Navajo Indians.

In 1918 Edgar and Elise moved to the Laguna Beach area, and formed the Laguna Beach Art Association, becoming the group's first President. He produced many wonderful California Impressionist paintings of the landscapes of the Laguna area. He was known for his wet in wet technique, below see a fine example of his work "San Gabriel Valley," painted in 1916.

To see some examples of my work click this link to go to My Portfolio of Paintings

Franz Bischoff

(1864-1929)

Franz Bischoff, the great California Impressionist painter, was born on January 14, 1864, in Steinschonau, Austria. As a teenager he came to the United States and became a naturalized citizen. In 1906 he decided to move to Los Angeles, California and he built a studio and home in Pasadena. He was one of the earliest members of the California Art Club, and painted scenes of California, working outdoors, capturing the light and color of the California landscape with quick, elegant brushstrokes and simplified forms.

See below his painting "Arroyo Seco Bridge," painted 1912.

Click here to see a portfolio of My Paintings of California landscapes.

Daniel Garber

(1880-1958)

Daniel Garber was a Plein Air Impressionist painter, part of the Pennsylvania Impressionists Group in Buck County, Pennsylvania. He is considered one of the finest painters to come out of that school of painting and his works are part of the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh. He often painted scenes of the Delaware river, which was close to his home in Lumberville, Pennsylvania. He was an excellent draftsman, and his canvases describe clear forms, yet rendered in the high key color palette of an Impressionist painter. Below we can see an example of his work in the painting "The Old Mill," completed in 1921.

Click this link to see a Portfolio of My American Impressionist Paintings.

Gari Melchers

(1860-1932)

Gari Melchers was born on August 11, 1860, in Detroit Michigan, the son of the sculptor Julius Theodore Melchers, who became quite famous in the Detroit area. At seventeen years old Gari Melcher studied at Kunstakademie Dusseldorf, in Germany, where he was taught by von Gebhardt (a German historical painter). Three year later he went to Paris, studying at the Ecole des Beaux arts. In 1886 his painting "The Sermon" was well received at the Paris salon. Also, he and John Singer Sargeant were the first two American painters to win the grand prize at the Paris Universal Exposition. He was a proponent of naturalism, which is a technique that attempts to avoid stylization in order to present the scene truthfully and without artificiality. Below we can see one of his works "The Unpretentious Garden," painted around 1903. One can see in this painting the matter of fact way in which he has put down the paint to describe the subject. However, I see in this painting some stylistic traits in common with Impressionism, due to the fact that the brushwork is so loose and sketchy. It's a beautiful painting and part of that beauty lies in the pattern and texture of the brushwork, and how that relates to the forms being described.

See below another work by Gari Melchers, "My Garden," painted around 1903.

And finally, see below a beautiful portrait painted by Gari Melchers, "Nellie Kabel," painted around 1900.

Click this link to see a Portfolio of My Paintings.