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About William Chadwick
William Chadwick (1879-1962), from England, moved with his family to Holyoke, Massachusetts in 1883. Chadwick enrolled in the Art Students League and studied there for five years. His most influential teacher was Joseph R. DeCamp, whose Boston School style can be seen in Chadwick's early work. Beginning in 1902, Chadwick began spending his summers in Old Lyme, Connecticut, where artists such as Childe Hassam (cat. no. 19) and Willard Metcalf had established an artists' colony. It was in Old Lyme that Chadwick combined his previous artistic training with the impressionist techniques of broken brushwork and high-key color to produce his own impressionistic style, marked by delicate and subtle tones. With the exception of frequent painting excursions and a few years of European travel, Chadwick remained in Old Lyme where he continued to carry on the impressionist tradition.
What first strikes the eye in Chadwick's Country House is the rich contrasts, especially the yellow- green foliage with deep purple shadows throughout the composition. The limited palette creates a decorative unity across the surface of the canvas. Space is treated naturalistically, through the large diagonal of the road, which runs from the lower left hand corner to the far right, leading the eye toward the high horizon. The landscape exudes a strong sense of summer heat, however, the trees near the house indicate a slight breeze. Perhaps more capable at his impressionism than others, Chadwick demonstrated a definite understanding of the technique. |
Paintings by William Chadwick
| Country House |
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oil on board: 14 x 18 inches |
| signed: lower right |
| date: circa 1916 |
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| Path through the Olive Tress |
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oil on canvas: 24 x 20 inches |
| signed: lower right |
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| The First Snow |
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oil on board: 35 x 40 inches |
| signed: lower left |
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