Customer Reviews

Childe Hassam (Watson-Guptill Famous Artists)

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Childe liked to draw from an early age. His father lost quite a bit in the Boston fire of 1873.
He had a treasure of antiques that he had to sell and he sent Childe out to work. Childe was not very good at accountng and his first employer told him to go be an artist since he spent so much time drawing at work.
Childe picked up on what others were doing very fast and essentially taught himself. Because he was sturdy, athletic and jovial, I think other established artists liked him and took him in. Wm M. Hunt was probably the biggest influence (the first "painter of light" in America). He married fairly young and appears to have kept his marriage vows. He painted street scenes -- not the first to do so but very few artists were doing that in his youth. His cabbie scenes/rainy day street scenes became quite popular and unfortunatley critics started poking at the repetition (I don't think he ever really surpassed the artistic achievements of his 20s). He went to France and traveled Europe taking in what others were doing. He brought back French influences but nevertheless understood there was an American school of painting. He sold a lot of water colors in the beginning and did a lot of illustration work for books. The 1880 and 1890s was an exciting time in America. After 1910 or so I think Childe lost himself in etchings and he did drink a bit. It must have been a let down with the rise of the abstract movement and general arrival of the "modern" world. Anyway this book has very good color plates and gives a basic synopsis of Childe's painting life. I recommend this book if you appreciate Childe. He lived 76 years --if he had made it to 85 I could have met him.