The Rise Of Art As An Investment In The Corporate World
December 3, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under News from the Artworld
rotestations from the art world, it has always been possible to equate value with works of art but amongst corporate investors there is no doubt that art has become a more stable long term investment than some stocks and shares. This has lead to many Western art consultants and art historians being frequently asked to suggest appropriate investments for their corporate clients, particularly far eastern clients who have a growing appreciation for Japanese and Chinese collectibles. This it is very common to visit a corporate headquarters in Japan and see some very expensive and exclusive art work displayed in glass cases in the foyer of the building, these not only being decorative, but also being part of the investments of that company. Mind you, some corporate art purchases, are so valuable that they lives permanently in water and fireproof safes!! It is a mark of the times that this kind of conspicuous art ownership is migrating to the west, with many city of London offices being decorated with corporate owned artwork worth many hundreds of thousands of pounds. Top executives get to enjoy these investments as office wall art and say it helps them to take pleasure in their time at work. The corporate artwork boom is also extending to, and benefitting vibrant, young artists who catch the eagle eye of corporate art consultants. Their work, often picked up for very little money at art college exhibitions, is seen as a potential investment for the future. This kind of purchase makes the corporate art market a hugely attractive target for up and coming artists; especially as some large corporate purchasers are said to be holding a huge body of art work from virtual unknowns against the day they become famous in the art world. A recent news story told how a young and virtually unknown artist held a very successful show in a London gallery and, having sold all her work, was swamped with corporate commissions that guaranteed her income for the next six years. What wasn’t mentioned was whether she accepted them. Corporate art buyers are now seen as an important part of the financial machine that keeps the art world running. Corporate art consultants are making a huge killing since the Icelandic banking disaster that made offshore investment banks less attractive. Purchases of office art are soaring and everyone seems happy to be a winner. One delighted student artist was heard to say “I never thought I’d leave art college with money in the bank” and corporate art consultants say this is just the tip of the iceberg. As banks are perceived as less reliable, more corporate investors will put their trust, and their money, into works of art.
Great cocktails
December 2, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under News from the Artworld
Hello once again, and I have yet another wonderful idea for a most refreshing cocktail, something to allow a soul to unwind after a grueling day at the beach. Or, as a matter of fact, any time of the year. Perhaps during the brumal months, seated beside a comforting hearth.
This concoction originates in the healing environs of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, a lovely respite from the harried and hurried existence of city life. Mind you, this drink came to me when I did indeed reside in the hectic urban town of Boston. But then, I somehow managed to traverse the byways to Truro (a place frequented by Edward Hopper) and found myself gazing at the Cape stars whilst myself and a woman friend partook in this extraordinarily refreshing beverage.
Ok, I’ll get right to the recipe. Here it is:
1 part Bailey’s Irish Cream
1 part Irish Mist
Combine, add a couple of cubes, and you’re in nirvana. (The amount of each is entirely up to you.)
I know, it doesn’t ’sound’ that potable, but I assure you it will soothe the most frayed of nerves. And the name of this drink? Why, it’s called a ‘Bill Bailey’! This name hails from the fact that the woman to whom I was acquainted with had a father-in-law who resided in that most splendid residence in Truro. Alas, this woman proved to be a femme fatale, and no longer do I hear from her, or her lovely son. But still, this memory of mixing this fabulous cocktail lingers still, and on occasion will I ponder its heady allure, sit down and compose said recipe, and indulge my spirit in past memorable excursions to that enchanting land.
Please do feel free to tweak this simple recipe and perhaps you, too, will be transported to your own slice of heaven. Enjoy!
Hate Speech Against Filipinos by Art Bell, a Hoax!
November 19, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under News from the Artworld
To all Filipinos who are still receiving the alleged hate speech that was written by radio talk show host Art Bell, please disregard it. It was a big mistake done by the Philippine Daily Inquirer to post the hate speech against Filipinos on their website because there is no truth in it. Later on, as Inq7.net realized that the news was a hoax, they’ve posted an apology on their website. For the full length of the article read e-hoax and e-scams.
If you haven’t received the HOAX HATE SPEECH AGAINST FILIPINOS, check out for yourself. You can check for my previous posts or you can click here!
How could a very reputable news company in the Philippines commit such an error? The effect it has created to Mr. Art Bell and to all the Filipinos who still receive the inflammatory and racist email is devastating. The apology done by PDI didn’t help because the damage has been done to Mr. Art Bell and the email still circulates among the Filipino community. For the past years since the hoax hate speech came out, Mr. Art Bell has been receiving death threats coming from misguided Filipinos.
How could a very reputable news company in the Philippines commit such an error? The effect it has created to Mr. Art Bell and to all the Filipinos who still receive the inflammatory and racist email is devastating. The apology done by PDI didn’t help because the damage has been done to Mr. Art Bell and the email still circulates among the Filipino community. For the past years since the hoax hate speech came out, Mr. Art Bell has been receiving death threats coming from misguided Filipinos. Click here to view the Sample Death Threats.
The email was written in December 1998 by someone who is trying to impersonate Mr. Art Bell. Unfortunately, after so much effort to put an end to this BIG MISTAKE, the article has been resurfacing every now and then. As a concerned blogger, I believe that it’s my duty to inform others about the truth. When I first received the email from one of my friends, I was very furious. I am grateful that I kept an open mind and decided to do my own research, which then resulted to the discovery that the Art Bell’s hate speech against the Filipino community is nothing but a HOAX.
Here’s a short excerpt from the alleged hate speech of Art Bell.
“Filipinos…..*make me puke* (Art Bell)
As we’ve all come to notice, in the past few decades, Filipinos have begun to infest the United States like some sort of disease. Their extensive involvement in the U.S. Armed Forces is proof of the trashy kind of qualities all filipinos tend to exhibit on a regular basis. You can see this clearly by studying the attitudes and cultural Icons of most Filipino Americans.
Origins of Pinoys/Pinays:
Are they really asian? Well we’ve come to accept the fact the filipinos come from a part of the world known as South East Asia. But the term “Asia” is used in the wrong way. You may notice that contemporary Filipino Americans try very hard to associate themselves with groups that we know as Asian. I cannot count the number of times I have seen a ‘Third World’ Filipino try to connect themselves to the chinese or Japanese people. There is no connection and here’s why. The Philippines is a Third World country. Nothing respectable has EVER been created by Filipino people during our entire human history. Young filipino men in America have become obsessed with “import racing”. They have an enormously perverted affection for Japanese cars. It’s a common phenomenon. In their minds, these Filipinos somehow believe that they are asian and that it somehow connects them to Japanese people and japanese cars. They often take credit for the ingenuity of Japanese people and say how it’s an “Asian th ing”. This term…”Asian thing” derived directly from African American slang “black thang”. “It’s a black thang.” “It’s an asian thang.”” READ THE FULL HATE SPEECH
For the FULL DETAILS YOU MAY WANT TO CHECK HATE Speech Against Filipinos by ART BELL, a HOAX!
Bandizmo.com New Website Promoting Unsigned Artists
November 12, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under News from the Artworld
In recent years the need for exposure by unsigned bands has spawned a massive commercial industry of websites offering promotion to new artists, but just how effective is this promotion? Paying for “Premium” memberships on “free” sites is no laughing matter before the gigs start coming in and, although admittedly sites like MySpace do a great job for free, how are people actually going to find you until they know your name?
So now, a service that really is completely free – and promises to remain that way – is BANDiZMO.com, a website that appears to have solved some of the biggest problems faced by its giant competitors. Website creator Andy Lingfield had a very successful career in the music industry before moving his talents to other projects, and knows all about the importance of being spotted by the right people. “When I started singing, the main problem was how to get noticed. I was very lucky to be discovered after appearing on ITV’s My Kind of Music, which led to me playing Pharaoh in the UK Tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Joseph”.
“As a song writer and ex professional singer myself, I got so fed up with the poor-sounding upload quality on similar sites,” says Andy “and the fact you can never easily find what you are looking for. So I thought I’d try to do something new, and spent a long time researching music genres to make sure BANDiZMO.com got it right.”
“BANDiZMO was set up after 2 conversations with friends who work in the music industry, one was stating their frustrations at not being able to find what they were looking for on the internet, they work in A&R and the other was my frustration at the poor sounding quality when I uploaded on other sites.”
With songs remaining at the quality at which you upload them and detailed genre lists, the site works by allowing people to search by song and not artist – so you can actually find exactly the music you are looking for easily. The site automatically creates slideshows of your uploaded photos which play along with your song.
“I coined the word iZMO to be more than just the type of music you are interested in, but also your style, thing, passion or interest. Whenever you play a song the site then suggests other music from different artists or “iZMOs” that you might like.”
Although very new, BANDiZMO has already been praised by musicians and talent spotters within the music industry for its simplicity and ease of use.
So whether you need to get heard or just want to listen, why not check out BANDiZMO.com and find out, exactly what is your iZMO??
For more information about this topic, please contact Andy Smith. e-mail Andy at contact@bandizmo.com
http://www.bandizmo.com
Hillary Clinton’s LYING she needs 60 votes to Leave Iraq
November 11, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under News from the Artworld
George W. Bush and Dick Cheney lied the United States into Iraq and now Hillary Clinton is lying to keep the United States in Iraq. Where is Oliver Stone when we need him? The magic bullet theory has been replaced by the disappearing act of the 423 million lawyers in the United States. Pervez Musharraf locked up the lawyers and the judges in Pakistan but in the United States they all just fell asleep. Fortunately “Deep Throat II†has come to our rescue, and it isn’t Monica Lewinsky or Larry Craig, aka “Bathroom Boyâ€.
This past Saturday Nov. 17, 2007, the 10th anniversary since Bill and Hillary Clinton refused to send the Kyoto Protocol to reduce planetary poisoning to the Senate for ratification and refused to ratify it, when 172 other countries did, Hillary Clinton spoke in Los Angeles at a Global Warming Forum. It got so hot at the forum that anti Iraq War protester Tyghe Berry of Code Pink was forced to scream, “Don’t tase me bro!â€, before being carted away by police, arrested and fined, for asking Hillary Clinton, “How can you say you’re for the environment when you’re always voting for war?†Congressman Dennis Kucinich and Senator John Edwards also spoke at the forum. Neither were arrested.
As Tyghe Berry was being thrown out, Hillary Clinton said, “Our (The Democrats’) obstacle to getting anything through the Congress (ie “A law ending the Iraq Warâ€) is the filibuster rule in the Senate. That means we have to get 60 votes in the Senate which means unless we have 60 Democrats we actually have to get some Republicans to vote with us. It’s one of the unfortunate obstacles we face because of the rules of the Senate.†You can watch Hillary Clinton say this here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiRBQqIEgm8 In simple terms Hillary Clinton told the American people that the Democratic Party cannot end the war in Iraq because they don’t have enough votes in the House or Senate, and they need 60 in the Senate. Hillary Clinton passed the buck on Iraq to the Republicans with this outright lie.
A sign “The buck stops here†sat on President Harry Truman’s desk in the oval office in the White House. It is unknown how many interns sat on President Clinton’s desk in the oval office. “Is that your stethoscope or are you just happy to see me?†During Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign Gennifer Flowers, who had a twelve year relationship with Governor Clinton complained of his miniscule member. In the smoking tape recordings of conversations between Bill Clinton and Gennifer Flowers they each called each other “Honeyâ€. Two Arkansas Police Officer bodyguards of Governor Clinton confirmed the affair. Bill Clinton denied the affair. He said, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, I had sexual relations with those women.†after the smoking dress was unveiled. In response to Gennifer Flowers, Hillary Clinton also denied the affair, and said that everyone calls everyone “Honey†in Arkansas. This is where the “Bee Movie†was filmed, a major disappointment despite the stellar cast. If one more bee dies next spring then we are all going extinct.
In the case at hand, how many Senate votes does it take to leave Iraq? Hillary Clinton says “60â€. BZZZZZZ! Sorry, next contestant. Our next contestant is “Deep Throat II†aka Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich. Recently Rob Kall, the editor of OpEdNews.com interviewed Congressman Kucinich on this very point, here: http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_rob_kall_071025_interview_with_denni.htm This is where Congressman Kucinich spilled the beans on the Democratic leadership, the game they are playing with the American public, and the real rules of the United States Congress which allow the Democrats to end the Iraq War tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow, you’re only, a daaaay a waaay!
In November 2006 the American people elected a Democratic Congress, a Democratic Senate and a Democratic House. This allowed the Democrats to elect Harry Reid as the Senate Majority Leader and Nancy Pelosi as the Speaker of the House of Representatives. According to the official rules of the Congress, only the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid or the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi can refer a bill to committee and then to the floor for a vote. This is the power of the purse which the American people gave to the Democratic Party last November as an expression of their will to leave Iraq immediately. In other words, if Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi decides to kill any war funding bill by not referring it to committee or the floor it’s dead.
Lets say that some congressman is an alcoholic and drunk and signs and puts a bill into the clerk’s hopper saying that henceforth no member is permitted to pick their nose more than 15 times per hour. As with any bill no matter how important Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid can kill it dead immediately. Without a war funding bill the American troops in Iraq will not have gasoline to drive their tanks, or bullets, and they will not be allowed to get killed or maimed anymore.
Hillary Clinton is talking about a filibuster of a bill that actually made it to the floor for debate and a vote. This is like talking about which tactics Devil’s Bag’s jockey should use in the Kentucky Derby when Devil’s Bag had already broken his leg before the race anyway. In November 2006 the Republicans broke both their legs, the House and the Senate. The founding fathers gave the Congress a check on the President and the Vice President, who shot his lawyer in the face deliberately for telling him this stuff.
Buster Douglas scored the biggest upset in sporting history by winning the undisputed heavyweight championship by knocking out Mike Tyson, who at the time was Superman. Mike Tyson used to knock his opponents into the third row on the first punch before he found myspace. For fun the Democrats should introduce a bill ending the Iraq War in the Senate. People will jump to pay $60 to watch it on pay per view. Imagine Lindsey Graham spending 12 hours in the Senate filibustering by reading the full line of Harry Potter novels and explaining to the American people how the Iraq War has been so helpful for the American Health Care system, educational system, the 10 trillion dollar deficit and global warming. By the time the Republicans are done mouthing off they won’t get a single vote next November.
Once the American people understand that Russia, China and the 1.3 Billion person Muslim world will never allow the United States to steal the Middle East oil, then the troops can come home. Russia, China and Iran have formed a strategic military alliance. Russia and China helped tiny North Vietnam defeat the United States. Russia is building nuclear reactors in Iran and giving Iran advanced missiles. Hillary Clinton believes that Jesus is coming in the Apocalypse Nuclear World War 3, on a flying horse from Heaven to defeat the snake, goat, lion Beast Devil of Revelations because she doesn’t know that the New Testament was written by Greek authors who plagiarised the story of Prince Bellerophon on his flying horse Pegasus defeating the snake, goat, lion Chimera. Coincidentally Nostradamus’ first two anti Christs Napoleon and Hitler code named Hister lost their Empire’s armies in Russia. Nostradamus’ third anti Christ is named maBUS. Turn the “m†upside down.
Jesus Christ the Jewish born Rabbi and Messiah of Christianity and Islam carved in stone, “Do not murderâ€, “Do not stealâ€, and “Do not lieâ€, otherwise I will punish you, your children, your grandchildren and your great grandchildren.†Hillary Clinton, those are the rules. Now bring the kids home before Vladimir Putin, Hu Jintao and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei beat their heads in. Lets end the Clinton reign and call it “Talegateâ€. Obama, Edwards, Biden, Kucinich, Gravel and Richardson are all fabulous, especially with Al Gore on the ticket. They will have no problem blowing away Mr. “I am staunchly pro choice and pro life†Giuliani and his recycled only worse hawk Bush advisors. Imagine truth in the oval office, a breath of fresh air. Blessed are the peacemakers.
How addiction to love can be unhealthy
November 8, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under News from the Artworld
How does anyone describe addiction to love? Is it the Romeo and Juliet idealized longing for fulfillment? Or are we talking about today’s frantic bed-hoppers who can never be cured of the affliction by settling down with one partner?
Despite what the psychiatrists claim, I don’t believe there is such a medically-recognized affliction as addiction to love. Show me any young guy of 18 or 20, and if he’s ever diagnosed with that kind of affliction, he’d be proud and happy to take his prescription to the nearest singles bar. Of course, there are exceptions where extremely unhealthy cases of obsession could result in violence, jealousy, stalking and many other kinds of behavior problems that have nothing to do with love.
Is there actually a line between the relatively normal love connection and sex addiction? Can we compare historic lovers Romeo and Juliet, Abelard and Heloise, Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, Ronald and Nancy Reagan, Pierre and Marie Curie, Bess and Harry Truman … with love-addicted Bill wandering away from Hillary? Or John Edwards falling in love with himself?
Gossip sheets today are touting the problems of TV actor David Duchovny, reporting he’s seeking treatment for an “unhealthy sex addiction”. Is there any truth to it? Quite by coincidence, David’s currently starring in the Showtime TV network’s “Californication.” With an obvious title like that, maybe there’s a another reason to say he has a so-called addiction to love.
The show’s subject matter relates to a middle-aged man who can’t keep his eyes or hands off of women. The actor’s on-screen and personal problem could very well be hype created by the show’s publicity flacks, desperately trying to get viewers, and hoping to avoid cancellation. We remember David from his very successful, long-running TV show, “The X-Files”. Considering his alleged affliction, maybe the name of the new show should have been “The XXX-Files”
If there’s actually such an unhealthy psychological condition as addiction to love, could it be compared to others, such as tobacco, alcohol and gambling? Does it really need the kind of therapy to get people to stop or find substitutes? A few years ago, some high-priced hookers got the idea of calling themselves sex therapists, and claimed professional status for their services. Of course, if the world’s oldest profession can be considered therapy, maybe those ladies are providing solutions to love-addicted men who are willing to pay for the …
Music Billboard Features New Artists
November 8, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under News from the Artworld
New Music Billboard allows the public to listen to music for free from their favorite Indie Artist. Traditional Billboards cover mostly mainstream music, but New Music Billboards features new and up and coming Singers and Bands.
New Music Billboards features music that runs along side more mainstream or commercial music and has frequently used the term Indie music. Small labels or individuals marketing their own music often participate in the Indie Music scene. It is important to uncover unknown bands because there is so much music talent out there who simply lack ample marketing.
During the 1990s, Indie music became widespread and answered an increasingly larger market of people who were looking for alternatives to the mainstream music institutions. In the same way that “alternative” was used before it became an actual genre of mainstream music, Indie is sometimes used in place of “underground” as a term to describe music.
There are many places online where you can download Indie music for free. One of the better resources is our site at http://www.newmusicbillboard.com
Becoming involved in the Indie music scene typically, and sometimes still does, require one to move to a city or town where there’s an active Indie music scene. Traditionally, hooking up with other artists and fans was a way to build your career as a new artist.
Seasoned musicians and new artists now have the opportunity to record and publish their music from the comfort of their own studio. Income can be made from building a fan base and by selling merchandise, concert tickets and traditional CDs.
Some Indie groups are now picked up by Indie record labels or even major record labels. A good resource to find Indie Music Labels is http://www.newmusiclabel.com
While Indie music is still considered off from mainstream music scene, it is a place where new artists can build a fan base and begin many of the marketing components that they are going to need to be success in the longer term.
Artist reviews: Edward Hopper and his painting Chop Suen
November 6, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under News from the Artworld
Modern realism is a twentieth century art movement that occurred in America and Britain. It is defined mainly by the innovative ways the artists produce everyday scenes. Consumerism and modern life were big influencers on this movement. The painting Chop Suey (1929) by Edward Hopper displays the similarities between the consumerist topos of modern realism and the synonymous movement of Pop Art. While Pop Art was influenced more by consumerism through products, planned obsolescence, advertising etc, modern realism focused more on everyday life with modern living as a back drop.
Chop Suey depicts two women inside a restaurant. They sit not relaxed facing each other and at a table by a window. Outside the window is an advertisement that in its entirety, based on title of the painting, says CHOP SUEY. The sign is red with large letters with red, orange and blue light bulbs. The woman and the sign make two halves to this picture. The restaurant itself is dark. The only light appears to be coming from the window. By the ladies there is a lamp, but it is unlit. In the background another couple sit, the man almost in complete darkness. The woman facing the viewer is staring outwards from the picture with black eyes, rather than at her friend. She is in plain clothes, and has an attractive yet plain face. In this half of the painting the palette is dark and neutral with blacks, greys, whites and browns.
The other half, the sign is red. The brightness of the red seeps into the darkness of the restaurant through the wall colour as seen in the window area, and a red coat hanging on the wall. The window has a panel in the bottom which blocks the view of the couple if they were to look outside. In the background there is a ladder visible.
Altogether these two sections connote some interesting dichotomies. For example, there is an opposition of living versus detachment. The bright sign and light outside represents the vibrancy of modern life whereas inside the women are detached from this by the darkness, by the window panel, and by the desolate expressions on the main woman’s face. This ‘emotional detachment’ conveys a second dichotomy; acceptance versus escape. The expressionless woman, and the darkness around the other figures suggests entrapment by modern life. The viewer looks from inside the restaurant, trapped with the subjects. The coat on the wall hints to the outside. However it is unworn, left on the wall. Its owner is not obvious. The motionlessness of the
The Art Institute of Chicago: Edward Hopper and Winslow Homer exhibitions
November 5, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under News from the Artworld
Art Institute of Chicago: Edward Hopper and Winslow Homer exhibitions
The Art Institute of Chicago
Undoubtedly, you’ve noticed the major expansion and renovation project underway at The Art Institute of Chicago. Although, the museum intends to remain open throughout the project, dozens of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works will leave Chicago for an exhibit, “The Impressionists: Masterworks from the Art Institute of Chicago,” at the Kimball Art Museum in Fort Worth beginning in June. Ninety-two works, including van Gogh’s The Bedroom and Cezanne’s Bathers, will showcase the Art Institute’s treasured collection allowing it to be seen while the building project continues.
Built on the rubble from the Great Chicago Fire, the Art Institute was founded as both a museum and school in 1879. As the city prepared to dazzle the country as host of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, the current classical Beaux-Arts building was designed to house the museum’s growing collection. Completed in 1893, the building allowed the institution room to reach for its very ambitious goal of becoming a world-class museum. That same ambition continues today.
The Art Institute’s new building is an integral part of the renaissance of the heart of the city. Along with Millennium Park, the new building represents the city’s most momentous civic undertaking since the 1893 Exposition. On axis with Frank Gehry’s sculptural Pritzker Pavilion, the Art Institute’s new wing by Italian architect Renzo Piano will be an important addition to Chicago’s architectural legacy.
The building will dramatically increase the amount of gallery space for the institution and give new home to the museum’s collection of modern art, contemporary art, photography, and architecture. Other parts of the collection will become more visible as curators will now have the opportunity to increase the number of works on display in the existing museum galleries. The new building will increase the size of the Art Institute’s campus by one-third.
Along with building components, the gardens and other landscaping surrounding the Modern Wing will add over 20,000 square feet of green space to the museum campus. These beautiful outdoor spaces will provide space for visitors to reflect and relax, while creating a green link to Millennium and Grant parks. Begun in 2007, the expansion is scheduled to open in 2009.
Edward Hopper
As the Art Institute expands, it readies to host a blockbuster show of
Artist William Merritt Chase
November 3, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under News from the Artworld
William Merritt Chase was born on November 1st, 1849 in Nineveh, Indiana. After joining and leaving the Navy in 1869, he decided to leave Indiana and head off to New York to study art. While there, he studied at The National Academy of Design. In 1870 he left New York to help support his family in St. Louis, he worked as a still-life painter and started to make a name for himself. The wealthy art collectors in St. Louis decided they wanted to expand his talent in Europe and they sponsored a 5 year stay in Munich in return for paintings.
Chase returned back to the United States in 1878 and opened a studio in New York City. He was a member of the Tilers, a group of artists including Winslow Homer, J. Alden Weir and Arthur Quartley. He often painted portraits of his family, his wife Alice and his 8 children.
In 1882, Chase helped found the Society of American Painters in Pastel and created an extraordinary body of work in this medium. From 189l to 1902, he conducted classes in the open-air at Shinnecock Hills, Long Island, and it was during this period that some of his most celebrated works were painted, such as “The Fairy Tale,” 1892 (Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond J. Horowitz) and “The Friendly Call,” 1895 (National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.)
Aside from painting portraits, William Merritt Chase also liked to paint landscapes. New York City parks and was often the subject for those landscapes, he used vibrant colors. William Chase enjoyed using oil paints to paint these paintings, he also used watercolors, pastels and etchings. His studio was filled with still lifes, portraits, landscapes, and cityscapes.
The portrait of “Lady in Black” is a perfect example of William Merritt Chase’s style. It currently hangs in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The brush strokes, although wide, don’t hide the intricate details of the woman’s face. It’s a piece that leaves the viewer wanting more, and often left me wondering what the “Lady in Black” was thinking about.
Chase, who spent his summers in Shinnecock, would often use this setting as a subject “The Chase Homestead at Shinnecock” is a perfect example of his landscape technique.
William Merritt Chase was also famous for his teaching and artistic training. He had a strong following of young students in New York City and was a founding member of The Society of American Artists and in 1880 was elected president. Chase died on October 25, 1916 in New York City.
Chase’s students numbered in the thousands; among the better known were Gifford Beal, Guy Péne du Bois, Charles Demuth, Marsden Hartley, Edward Hopper, Alfred Maurer, Kenneth Hayes Miller, Georgia O’Keeffe and Charles Sheeler.
William Merrit Chase’s current popularity has been very evident over the last twenty-five years. All major auction houses around the world such as Southeby’s and Christie’s have seen the prices of Chase’s work increase drastically. His continuing popularity and the scarceness of his works has allowed prices to increase significantly. For optimum value, when buying or selling, one should research his best years of painting.