{"product_id":"overhead-trestle-bass-rocks-massachusetts-by-martha-walter","title":"Overhead Trestle, Bass Rocks, Massachusetts by Martha Walter","description":"Martha Walter\u003cbr\u003e 1875 – 1976 | American \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cem\u003eOverhead Trestle, Bass Rocks, Massachusetts\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Signed \"Martha Walter\" (lower center)\u003cbr\u003e Oil on canvas \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Martha Walter is celebrated as one of the great female artists of American art history, and this remarkable and highly expressive oil on canvas represents one of the artist’s favorite subjects: carefree New England shore scenes teeming with beachgoers. Pairing a traditional seascape with thoroughly modern execution, the painting is exemplary of Walter’s distinctive style and an evocative example of American Impressionism. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Depicting Bass Rocks Beach in Gloucester, Massachusetts, this painting’s daring compositional framing places loosely rendered figures in the background while the sea and a trestle bridge dominate the foreground. This unconventional perspective, as well as a wonderful sense of light and shadow, creates a spontaneous snapshot-like effect — a technique espoused by the French Impressionists. Furthermore, the artist’s loose brushwork and splashes of vivid color lend vitality to the figures at rest and at play along the water’s edge. With its extreme vertical cropping and strong brushwork, this is perhaps one of Walter’s most strongly modern canvases. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Born in Philadelphia in 1875, Walter quickly established her place as one of the foremost American Impressionist painters of her lifetime. She studied at the Pennsylvania Academy for the Fine Arts under the tutelage of American painter William Merritt Chase, who became one of her greatest supporters. Chase encouraged her to enter a number of art competitions early in her career, and she subsequently won the Tappan prize in 1902, as well as a Cresson traveling scholarship in 1908. She was thus able to travel extensively throughout France, Holland, Italy and Spain, eventually enrolling at both the Academie Julian and the Academie Grand Chaumiere in Paris for brief periods. Rebelling at their traditional approach and classical subjects, Walter left the formal academies and established her own studio in Paris with a small group of female American artists. It was during this period that Walter developed her infatuation for \u003cem\u003eplein air\u003c\/em\u003e painting, which would profoundly influence the course of her career. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Walter returned to America at the beginning of World War I, and her previously light and airy paintings took on a more vivid and spontaneous feel. She quickly became known for her charming beach scenes of Cape Ann, Atlantic City and Coney Island, and her paintings from this period boast a colorful palette, remarkable atmosphere and masterful use of light and shadow. Gaining increasing popularity for her distinct style, Walter won prizes from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the National Association of Women Artists. Soon after she became a teacher at Chase's New York School of Art. Today, the artist's works reside in several important permanent collections including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Pennsylvania Academy for the Fine Arts (Philadelphia) and the Woodmere Art Museum (Philadelphia).  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Circa 1920 \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Canvas: 40 1\/8\" high x 32\" wide\u003cbr\u003e Frame: 50 1\/8\" high x 42 1\/4\" wide","brand":"M.S. Rau","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40500495843463,"sku":"31-4281","price":198500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0083\/2471\/0466\/products\/31-4281_1_48cf42f0-f65a-4a44-9165-125fb6c403b9.png?v=1710146687","url":"https:\/\/rauantiques.com\/products\/overhead-trestle-bass-rocks-massachusetts-by-martha-walter","provider":"M.S. Rau","version":"1.0","type":"link"}