By DARLA MCCAMMON
Lakeland Art Association

“In The Garden” by Frederick Childe Hassam (photo provided).

WARSAW — I promised more about the artist of the St. Patrick’s Day parade painting you saw last week. His name was Frederick Childe Hassam. Born in 1859 in the U.S., Hassam was the son of a Boston businessman wealthy enough to have a home full of antiques and art. As he grew up Hassam excelled in art, boxing and swimming, but his parents barely acknowledged his art talent.

At age 17 a fire in Boston decimated much of the commercial district including his father’s business. Hassam dropped out of school to help support his family. One of his jobs gave him an opportunity to increase his talent in art by giving him work designing engravings for commercial use.

During this time he began creating oil and watercolor paintings and became successful enough to have a studio and do freelance illustration work. He successfully illustrated children’s stories for big name magazines and also took classes in art that furthered his skill.

He remained more self-taught than trained; however, continued to hone his abilities and in 1884 he married Maud Doane. They traveled to Europe and at one point they moved to France where he took advantage of formal drawing classes but found it too mundane and routine. 

“It crushes all originality … tends to put them in a rut,” he said. Hassam preferred learning on his own and excelled at it. His work did improve and in 1889 in Paris he won a bronze medal. His work became more impressionistic as well as experimental.

On his return to the U.S. he took up residence in New York and Hassam began painting all that surrounded him and with three friends made up a foursome known as the nucleus of the newly developing American Impressionism. His “In The Garden” was an example.

A struggle with changing economic times influenced Hassam to return to Europe where he studied the old masters. Later he returned to New York and formed The Ten a group of artists who left the traditional art society and formed their own society. Several more ups and downs in his life ended with an eager market paying up to $6,000 for each of his paintings.

He began one of his most famous sets of works when he produced “The Flag Series” in 1916. Many of these works are now housed in famous museums around the country, including one hanging in the White House. He called modern trends in art a disaster and other disrespectful names throughout his life but his wisdom eventually prevailed some years after his death at age 75, when American Impressionism regained the reputation that drove up the value of such work tremendously.

Upcoming and Current Events:                                                                                                                  

• Exhibit of Senior Art Student Show from Grace College at Warsaw City Hall. 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
• LAA Surreal art exhibit opens soon at 302 E. Winona Ave., 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
• The fourth Monday of each month, visit the new Lakeland Art Association Gallery in the evening for special programs. Call (574) 269-1101 for dates, subject of the program, and times.
• Contact your author and artist Darla McCammon through email at [email protected] or visit her website.