At the Seasideca. 1892
Figures in summer dress relax on the sand beside a wide, glittering sea in one of the beach scenes William Merritt Chase painted in the early 1890s. More about this work
About this work
Figures in summer dress relax on the sand beside a wide, glittering sea in one of the beach scenes William Merritt Chase painted in the early 1890s. Chase spent his summers in these years at Shinnecock on Long Island, where he ran an influential outdoor painting school, and his breezy, sunlit canvases show how he adapted French Impressionism to the American landscape. The quick, confident brushwork captures the freshness of a summer day.
Written by Ochre Editions.
How it was made
- Oil paint
- Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.
William Merritt Chase
American, 1849–1916 · Born in Williamsburg, Indiana; died in New York.
Chase studied at the Royal Academy in Munich, then returned to New York in 1878 to teach at the Art Students League, setting up a lavish Tenth Street studio that became a showcase. His style moved from dark Munich realism to bright, quick outdoor painting, seen in his views of city parks and of Shinnecock on Long Island, where he ran a summer school from 1891. He was among the most influential American teachers of his time, and his students included Georgia O’Keeffe and Edward Hopper.
Written by Ochre Editions.
Rights and the museum’s record
Public domain. The Met has dedicated this image to the public domain under CC0, so anyone may copy, adapt and use it, for any purpose, without asking. Our prints and files are reproductions made from the museum’s image; the museum doesn’t endorse them.
- Object number
- 67.187.123
- Credit
- Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Type
- Painting
- Department
- The American Wing
- Licence
- CC0 1.0 Universal
- Museum record
- See it on the museum’s site
