1889, Childe Hassam, Winter Nightfall in the City -- Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond)
From the museum label: This painting records Hassam's fascination with atmospheric effects and human mobility. A coachman arches forward; a cloak, muffler, and hat are his only buffers against the icy chill. The well-worn snow bares the impact of turning wheels and roving pedestrians. As the rose-toned sky reaches twilight, a haze descends upon the city where only carriage lanterns and the glow from street windows guide the way. Winter has come. The illusion of spontaneity and immediacy in the painting masks Hassam's careful cultivation; the artist prepared a series of sketches that were subsequently united on canvas in his studio. As he remarked: "all those people and horses and vehicles didn't arrange themselves for my especial benefit. I had to catch them, bit by bit, as they flitted past."
1889, Childe Hassam, Winter Nightfall in the City -- Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond)
From the museum label: This painting records Hassam's fascination with atmospheric effects and human mobility. A coachman arches forward; a cloak, muffler, and hat are his only buffers against the icy chill. The well-worn snow bares the impact of turning wheels and roving pedestrians. As the rose-toned sky reaches twilight, a haze descends upon the city where only carriage lanterns and the glow from street windows guide the way. Winter has come. The illusion of spontaneity and immediacy in the painting masks Hassam's careful cultivation; the artist prepared a series of sketches that were subsequently united on canvas in his studio. As he remarked: "all those people and horses and vehicles didn't arrange themselves for my especial benefit. I had to catch them, bit by bit, as they flitted past."