<The Silver Veil> by Childe Hassam

The American Impressionist Childe Hassam's <The Silver Veil and the Golden Gate> (1914) is one of the masterpieces that give me the guide in art.

Whenever I look at this work of art, I have a renewed sense in my art, a vital sense of direction in the otherwise absolutely foggy field called art.

Childe Hassam's <The Silver Veil and the Golden Gate> (1914)

Childe Hassam developed his style by his own study of the then European paintings, especially the French Impressionism. However, he was a solo, independent artist who did not belong to a fixed manifesto. His style was patently Impressionist (he was called "extreme Impressionist"), but he did not develop the style through contact with the French Impressionists.

Hassam's lighting and colors are breathtaking. A very proud American, Hassam boldly proclaimed in Paris while he was studying the European art, that: "The American Section...has convinced me forever of the capability of Americans to claim a school. Inness, Whistler, Sargent and plenty of Americans just as well able to cope in their own chosen line with anything done over here." And he was right. Hassam's Impressionism does more than get abreast of the French Impressionism. He excelled.

But it is the above painting <The Silver Veil> that amazes me most. This painting was created in 1914, in his later career. As often with many other artists, a painting in the old years of an artist suggests a more abstract, holistic way of expression. In this painting, I see such direction. And that's what I cherish dearly from this painting.

This painting is almost abstract. Here, the brushstrokes are unusually strong and terse for Hassam. Shapes are mingled with each others, breaking the boundaries. One can't distinguish the scene clearly. You can only imagine it through suggestions. Yet, the light and colors are brilliant and dazzling. They are in motion like living things. The scale of the scene that this painting exudes, together with the dancing light and colors, draws awe from the viewer. For me, this is the art that best exemplifies the word "sublime beauty".