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William Merritt Chase - More than a Painter of Fish

© Tricia Dake

What is it about the art of American painter William Merritt Chase that keeps me coming back?

When I first began to notice the paintings by William Merritt Chase (1849-1916) in museums, I dismissed them quickly as not particularly interesting. Then I realized that in nearly every art museum I visited - and I visited many all across the country - I saw more and more of his paintings. Finally I took a closer look. It was then that I discovered something - he was really quite good! There is something very appealing about his art. It is almost as if he accomplished each painting in a brief moment. It is like a photograph only with brushstrokes and texture, and yet neither is it an exact replica of the subject. While his art is less representational and a great deal more impressionistic, it captures the essence of each subject remarkably well.

At the age of 64, William Merritt Chase was heard to say, "It may be that I will be remembered as a painter of fish...."

While those of us who study the work of this remarkable artist recognize the fact that William Merritt Chase was more than merely a painter of fish; without a doubt, we must also acknowledge that his paintings of fish hold an immediate and very slippery appeal.

In 1904 Chase painted his most famous still-life, "An English Cod." It is claimed that he saw the cod in a fishmonger's shop and requested that the shopkeeper rent it to him for two hours. Chase then took it to his studio and began painting. At the end of two hours when a young man from the shop came to take it back, Chase is reported to have sent him away as he was not yet finished with it. Disturbed by the possible loss of the fish, the fishmonger went to the artist's studio to retrieve it, but was so impressed that he stayed to watch the completion of the picture. The painting took five hours to complete, and when it was exhibited in the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts show, sold for two thousand dollars to the owner of the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. While Chase liked to brag about earning so much money for only five hours of work, he finally admitted that it had taken him a lifetime to learn to paint so well.

Chase went on to paint and sell other pictures of a similar theme. "Still Life: Fish" was a painting of a giant skate and three mussels alongside a brass bowl. Chase exhibited a wonderful facility for portraying the different textures of the items involved. Likewise a second painting by the same name included not only a fish but also green peppers, a tomato and this time a dark red bowl and revealed the same alacrity for texture and color.