A City Park c. 1887

William Merritt Chase painted this scene of leisure in oils, using techniques of the late nineteenth century. Consider how the materiality of paint here reflects on the wider social conditions of the time. Chase uses visible brushstrokes, capturing fleeting moments of light and atmosphere. His style, rooted in impressionism, gives us a candid snapshot of urban life. But it also speaks to the new availability of leisure time for the middle classes, and the industrial production of paints in tubes, making it easier for artists to work en plein air, outside of the studio. There is an element of labor, too, in the artist’s skill, and in the production of clothing and other goods seen in the picture, like the bench, which would have been produced in foundries. Chase is not simply depicting a scene, but engaging with the new urban, consumerist experience of the late 1800s. By focusing on materials, making, and context, we gain a deeper understanding of how this artist responded to the social and industrial transformations of his era.