The Harbor

Arguably America’s more well regarded Impressionist painter, Childe Hassam sought to portray an artistic vision related to the work of his European peers but befitting of the nation that served as his inspiration. While many of his works concentrate on the busy streets of New York, Hassam would spend his summers away from the bustle of the city in New England, seeking not only personal respite but also new subject matter in the quieter local communities. On the rocky shores of the island of Appledore he concentrated on the craggy coastline and beautiful flower gardens, while in the Connecticut artist colonies of Old Lyme and Cos Cob he focused on the buildings and landscape. Likely painted near Cos Cob, Connecticut, The Harbor is a masterful example of the artist’s New England oeuvre—encapsulating into one balanced composition several of the best elements of his paintings from this period.

Hassam began making summer trips to Cos Cob in 1894 and continued to do so until 1918, staying at the Holley Boarding House, which acted as the intellectual center for the local art community. Other frequent artist visitors included Theodore Robinson, John Henry Twachtman and J. Alden Weir. Susan G. Larkin writes, "The subject matter Hassam favored in Cos Cob differed dramatically from the sea and rocks he painted at Appledore. And although the Holleys and MacRaes grew their own fruits and vegetables, cultivated extensive flower borders, and filled the house with bouquets, Hassam ignored garden images there. He focused now on architectural and figural subjects...The old houses, barns, mill, and shipyard inspired so many pictures that Hassam nicknamed the art colony 'the Cos Cob Clapboard School.'" ("Hassam in New England," Childe Hassam: American Impressionist, exhibition catalogue, New York, 2004, p. 147)