Idle Hours
circa 1894
William Merritt Chase captures a perfect, lazy summer afternoon in this breezy Impressionist scene. Set against the rolling dunes of Shinnecock Hills, Long Island—where he ran a famous summer art school—elegant women and children relax in the tall grass. Notice the bright white parasols and the woman in the striking red hat, seemingly lost in a book while the ocean sparkles in the distance. Chase masterfully uses loose, quick brushstrokes to make you feel the warm coastal wind and the dappled sunlight of the 1890s.
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