The New International Encyclopædia/Chase, William Merritt

CHASE, William Merritt (1849—). An American painter. He was born in Franklin, Ind., November 1, 1849. After studying under R. F. Hays, in Indianapolis, and in the schools of the National Academy of Design, he painted with Piloty and Wagner at Munich (1872), acquiring a thoroughly German method, which at that time was bituminous and dark. On his return to New York (1878) he began to change his style of painting, gradually clarifying his color and showing an appreciation for the work of the French school. One of the most facile and brilliant technicians of the American school, Chase succeeds equally well with figure, portrait, and still life. He himself considers his best work to be still life, of which remarkable examples are one in the Pennsylvania Academy and an “English Cod” lately exhibited. Other well-known works are “A Broken Jug,” “Ready for a Ride” (1878, Union League Club, New York), “Alice” (Art Institute, Chicago), and a “Lady in Black” (Metropolitan Museum, New York). He has received many medals, is a National Academician, and has been president of the Society of American Artists.