Mrs. William Clark

Artist William Merritt Chase (American, 1849–1916)

Dateabout 1915

Mediumoil on canvas

Dimensionscanvas: 60.8 × 43.3 cm (23 15/16 × 17 1/16 in.)
framed: 82.6 × 66 × 8.9 cm (32 1/2 × 26 × 3 1/2 in.)

ClassificationsPaintings

Credit LineSarah C. Garver Fund

Terms

canvas

Object number1973.7

Label TextExecuted a year before the artist’s death, this preliminary sketch was the basis of a large finished portrait entitled Lady in Opera Cloak (Portrait of Miss C.), now located in the Grand Rapid Arts Museum in Michigan. Chase captures the sitter’s features, indicating her costume and setting with broad, suggestive strokes. Her direct gaze to the viewer is visually captivating, as it insinuates her feminine intelligence and charm. Chase’s application of black pigment within a dark, monochrome background, a result of his training in Munich, contrasts with the vibrancy of French Impressionism, thereby underscoring his legacy as a modern master.Provenanceformerly of Victor L. Spark (or Speak?), by 1964 donated to the Cincinnati Art Museum, deaccessioned from Cincinnati Art Museum (date unknown), to Chapellier Galleries, NYC, NY, sold to the Worcester Art Museum in 1973.

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