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John Leslie Breck
Grey Day on the Charles, 1894
Born in France, Impressionism quickly captured the American imagination in Boston, where artists and collectors pursued paintings by Claude Monet and his contemporaries. Having visited Monet's home in Giverny in 1877, Breck was one of the earliest Americans to produce a modified version of the new style. He incorporated a light, bright impressionist palette; but, like most of his American colleagues who adopted the approach, he retained a somewhat conservative dedication to drawing and structure. Journalists quickly dubbed Breck the "Head of the American Impressionists" -- a title he held until his premature death in 1899.
Avoiding the sweeping, panoramic landscapes popular earlier in the 19th century, American impressionists favored intimate glimpses of nature. Like their French counterparts, they often depicted idyllic rural retreats on the outskirts of industrialized urban centers. In Breck's Grey Day, Boston lies just a few miles down the Charles River, out of sight and out of mind. |