Isles of Shoals

Childe Hassam painted this seascape in 1890, during one of his many trips to the Isles of Shoals, a scattering of small islands off the coast of New Hampshire and Maine. He was drawn there partly by the poet Celia Thaxter, whose seaside home and beloved garden welcomed a steady stream of artists and writers. While Hassam is often remembered for painting Thaxter's flowers, here he swings his gaze toward the open water, letting the sea take center stage.

Water is really the whole point of this canvas. Hassam layered short strokes of blue, green, violet, and white on top of one another, a method he picked up from the French Impressionists he so admired. The result glimmers and churns, catching the light as if the ocean itself is breathing. Dark rocks frame the composition on both sides, and waves smash into white foam where they meet the stone. The subject could hardly be simpler, just sky, sea, and rock, yet Hassam seems genuinely thrilled by the puzzle of pinning down light as it dances on restless water.

As one of America's foremost Impressionists, Hassam kept coming back to these islands throughout his career, painting them season after season. This particular view captures the raw energy of the coast, and if it leaves you longing to stand on a windswept shore and watch the tide come in, then Hassam has hit his mark.