Artist renowned for painting street scenes! 

Childe Hassam (1859 - 1935) was the American painter most completely Impressionist.  Momentary effects produced by sunlight is usually his theme.  He paints by placing color in juxtaposition in order to attain effects of being seen at a distance.  

Born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, Hassam began his career as an illustrator for newspapers and magazines.  In the late 1870s, he took evening classes at the Boston Art Club.  His earliest paintings were done in watercolor.  In 1883, Hassam went to Great Britain, France, Italy, and Spain, dividing his time between the study of earlier masters and painting watercolor of foreign scenes.

In 1889 Hassam returned to America.  He left Boston for a New York studio and quickly involved himself in the active art life of the city.  During this period, oil painting remained his main interest.  His involvement with the city was inexhaustible; he caught its many moods in every season, from numerous vantage points at different times of day and in varied weather.

Hassam loved to paint the city life because it offered aesthetic and fitting subjects for pictures.  Whenever he paints on street scenes, he gives you the color of the street and the tone of the city.  In addition to the city scenes, the garden was also the stimulus for his beautiful series of paintings.  

The above painting was done by using a palette knife after my visit to the garden at The Huntington, San Marino, Southern California.