Saturday, January 24, 2004

By Mary Thomas, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Childe Hassam, generally considered to be the foremost American Impressionist, is a familiar name to art lovers, but less well known is the close affiliation he had with Carnegie Museum of Art.

The Carnegie was the first American museum to purchase a Hassam painting: "Fifth Avenue in Winter" with its fashionable pedestrians and horse-drawn carriages, which was exhibited in the 1899 Carnegie International.

	"White Kimono," a 1915 etching by American Impressionist Childe Hassam, is one of 72 etchings, drawings and lithographs in "Childe Hassam: Prints and Drawings from the Collection" at Carnegie Museum of Art. Click photo for larger image.

Hassam first participated in a Carnegie International in 1896, and between then and 1935 exhibited more than 90 paintings in the prestigious shows, receiving awards in 1898 and 1905. In 1910, he was honored with a solo exhibition within that year's International, and in 1903, 1904 and 1910 he served on the award jury.

Many of the 72 drawings, etchings and lithographs in "Childe Hassam: Prints and Drawings from the Collection," the glowing inaugural exhibition in the Carnegie's newly renovated Works on Paper Gallery, are from the 60 donated to the museum in 1940 by Hassam's widow in recognition of his close relationship with the museum.

Two paintings included in the exhibition illustrate the connection between Hassam's oils and other works.

"Spring Morning," shown in the 1909 International and purchased for $6,000, depicts a woman thoughtfully gazing out the window of a comfortably furnished room, as do figures in several adjacent prints that further explore the subject.

"Northeast Headlands, Appledore," also exhibited in the 1909 International but not purchased until much later, is a celebration of light and rock and water, as is the nearby crayon and gouache "Rocky Headland, Isle of Shoals," both inspired by the coastal New Hampshire islands where Hassam often summered.

The heartbeat of the exhibition, though, is provided by the rows of prints and drawings, small gems that exude vitality and hint at the extensive and diverse output of this prolific artist.

Hassam (1859-1935) was first employed by a Boston wood engraver and later worked as an illustrator before turning to painting. When he lived in Paris, between 1887 and 1889, he began painting in the Impressionist style that he would be remembered for, although he disputed the label of Impressionist.

In 1915 Hassam turned to etching and lithography, and continued to explore the effect of light and shadow through the black and white contrasts offered in printmaking.

Works, which range from delicate and detailed to bold and suggestive, are grouped, for the most part, by location: Gloucester, Mass.; Newport, R.I.; Connecticut; East Hampton; New York City; and Europe.

The landscape, architecture, people and culture that he so keenly observed in each locale are exhaustively explored, almost with documentary zeal.

Hassam liked to use unusual paper, including end pages from old books or the backs of invitations. Among many notable images is "The Atheneum, Portsmouth," an etching printed on a sheet from a preacher's Bible with a column of psalms along one side that makes one wonder what the connection between verse and image is meant to be.

Hassam is best known for his paintings of flags, especially those displayed for patriotic events during World War I in New York City. "Avenue of the Allies," of 1918, is a lively vertical composition that gives the flags of a multitude of nations visual dominance over the groups of pedestrians on the walks below. In "Lafayette Street" of the same year, the U.S. flag receives central emphasis. Also shown is one of his earliest flag pictures, "14th July, Paris, Old Quarter," an 1889 pencil and gouache drawing.

Correspondence exhibited includes an exchange between Hassam and John W. Beatty Jr., the museum's first department of fine arts director, negotiating a purchase. Beatty had reviewed a set of 33 Hassam sketches and, hoping to keep them together, appealed to the artist to make that financially feasible. A receipt signed by Andrew Carnegie shows authorization for a payment to Hassam for "30 original drawings." The amount? A most reasonable $400.

In a June 22, 1909, letter to Beatty, Hassam wrote, "I feel that I am better and more adequately represented by the Carnegie Institute than in any other permanent collection."

"Childe Hassam, American Impressionist," the first major retrospective of his work since 1972, will open at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, on June 10.

It looks like the Carnegie's been ahead of the curve.

"Hassam" continues through Feb. 8. For hours and admission, call 412-622-3131 or visit www.cmoa.org.

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