Artwork Details
78 x 38 in. (canvas) 85-1/2 x 45-1/8 in. (framed)
Mark DescriptionSigned and dated, lower left: Carroll Beckwith, 1882
Accession NumberGift of the Artist
CopyrightAmerican Painting and Sculpture 1800-1945
Color PaletteGiven by the artist to the John Herron Art Institute, Indianapolis, Indiana, now the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, in 1910.
• Beckwith recorded painter William Merritt Chase in dapper travel attire, including spats and a cane. An arresting passage of brushwork draws attention to the subject’s bejeweled left hand. Chase strove to ennoble his profession by dressing impeccably.
• Upon completion of their studies abroad, Beckwith and Chase set sail for the United States "to earn a living by their brushes," in Beckwith’s words. This 1878 transatlantic voyage cemented the artists’ friendship. Beckwith began sketches for this portrait of his friend while they were on another journey back to Europe.
• In 1896 Beckwith cropped the picture in response to criticism of an error in perspective.
Exhibition Name
Venue
Dates
William Merritt Chase: 1849-1916
Indianapolis Museum of Art Columbus Gallery
September 27, 1997 - November 23, 1997
William Merritt Chase: Works from the Collection
Indianapolis Museum of Art
October 12, 1995 - September 22, 1996
More Than Red, White and Blue: American Paintings from the Collection
Indianapolis Museum of Art
July 2, 1989 - August 20, 1989
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