Childe Hassam

Date of Birth: October 17, 1859

Zodiac Sign: Libra

Date of Death: August 27, 1935

Biography

Frederick Childe Hassam, commonly known as Childe Hassam, was a prominent American Impressionist painter, noted for his urban and coastal scenes. Born on October 17, 1859, in Dorchester, Massachusetts, Hassam was a pivotal figure in the American Impressionist movement. His early interest in art was nurtured by his mother, and he began his formal training at the Boston Art Club and later at the Académie Julian in Paris. Hassam’s work is characterized by its vivid use of color and light, capturing the vibrancy of modern American life. Hassam’s career took off in the 1880s when he started working as an illustrator for magazines such as Scribner’s and Harper’s Weekly. His illustrations and watercolors of New York City and rural New England captured the changing American landscape. By the 1890s, he had established himself as a leading Impressionist painter, heavily influenced by his time in Paris and his admiration for French Impressionists like Claude Monet. He was a founding member of the Ten American Painters, a group that broke away from the Society of American Artists to advocate for more progressive art. Throughout his career, Hassam produced over 3,000 paintings, watercolors, etchings, and lithographs. His famous series of Flag paintings, created during World War I, are celebrated as patriotic symbols of American resilience. Childe Hassam passed away on August 27, 1935, in East Hampton, New York, leaving behind a rich legacy that continues to influence American art.

5 Interesting Facts about Childe Hassam

1. Childe Hassam’s famous Flag series consists of approximately 30 paintings depicting American flags in various urban settings, created during World War I.

2. Hassam’s painting “The Avenue in the Rain” has been displayed in the White House and is part of its permanent collection.

3. He was a founding member of The Ten American Painters, a group of artists who seceded from the Society of American Artists in 1898 to protest against the academic standards of the time.

4. Despite his association with Impressionism, Hassam was critical of the term and preferred to be called an “American painter.”

5. Hassam’s work fetched very high prices during his lifetime and continues to be highly valued in the art market today.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Childe Hassam

1. “Art, to me, is the interpretation of the impression which nature makes upon the eye and brain.”

2. “I believe the artist is he who can take a bit of life and show it to you in such a way that you feel it and understand it better.”

3. “I do not like the word ‘impressionism,’ but I feel that the term ‘impression’ better describes the work that I do.”

4. “The man who will go down to posterity is the man who paints his own time and the scenes of every-day life around him.”

5. “The chief function of the artist is to express beauty; all else is secondary.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

At the peak of his career, Childe Hassam’s net worth is estimated to have been around $500,000, a considerable sum at the time, equivalent to several million dollars today.