The Age of American Impressionism: Masterpieces from the Art Institute of Chicago Hardcover – December 20, 2011

The Art Institute of Chicago is most famous for its French Impressionist and Post Impressionist paintings. However, the museum also houses a large and lesser known American Impressionist collection. This book the second devoted to this art movement highlights 90 works. by renowned and less familiar artists. The book opens with a small introduction discussing how American artists adapted to French artistic practices. Then the book is then divided in seven chapters. The first four are devoted to these major artists: Winslow Homer(who is considered a precursor impressionist painter), and the European based James McNeill Whistler, Mary Cassatt, and John Singer Sargent. About half of the works in the book are by these artists and include iconic paintings such as Homer's "Croquet Scene", Cassatt's "The Child's Bath", and Sargent's "The Fountain, Villa Torlonia". Also illustrated are numerous watercolors, pastels and a a group of color Cassatt prints. The fifth section introduces other Americans who worked abroad which highlights canvases by Theodore Robinson, Walter Gay, and George Hitchcock. The sixth section is about the countryside. Luminous landscapes by Childe Hassam, Daniel Garber, John Henry Twachtman, and Willard Metcalf are included as well as interior scenes by Frank Benson and Richard Miller. An enormous portrait "Dorothea and Francesca" by Cecilia Beaux is another major painting in this chapter. The book ends with Impressionism and the City which includes some ash can works . It is this theme where we see a difference in influences. In the two previous sections the artists were followers of Claude Monet while several painters in this section dealt with subject matter such as cafe and theater scenes which show devotion to Edgar Degas and Auguste Renoir. The works range from William Merritt Chase's "A City Park" to William Glackens' "At Mouquins". Everett Shinn,'s first theatrical themed oil painting, "The Hippodrome, London" and Elizabeth Sparhawk Jones'"Shoe Shop" which depicts the rise of the department store are also illustrated . The last painting reproduced is the Chicago cityscape "The Coffee House" by Alson Skinner Clark which shows State Street Bridge. I found the reproductions nicely photographed and the commentaries simply written but very informative. When skimming through at the book I l noticed names of a couple of painters I never heard of such as the aforementioned Sparhawk-Jones, Walter Lunt Palmer, Walter Elmer Schofield, and Wilson Henry Irvine.l If you love impressionism and the Art Institute of Chicago I strongly recommend purchasing both books.A note- You can also read my review on "The Age of French Impressionism" .

I am pleased with this purchase. It is a terrific reference for a remarkable collection in a remarkable museum.

Excellent book; delves into the surprising and significant contributions from American Impressionists.