Artist Spotlight…William Merritt Chase’s Japonisme Interiors

I am not going to say a lot about about this Christmas treat post, other than that the very prolific William Merritt Chase, long considered America’s “Best Impressionist,” was also fascinated with Japanese art and motifs. For your enjoyment, I have gathered a large grouping of his paintings which include clear references to Japonisme through props such as prints, fans, kimonos, and screens. In addition to these obvious references, the compositions of these later paintings – with their high horizon lines and uptilted foregrounds – reveal the more significant role Japanese art had on his artistic style.