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American Impressionism and The Cape Cod School of Art
The History of Impressionism
In the 19th century, artists were limited to painting only with umbers and browns. Known as “Tonalists,” they had to mix these colors daily because they had no way to keep them moist overnight. Their landscapes were primarily painted in their north light studios using sketches made on location. Lacking the insight to interpret sunlight and light effects, these artists were able to convey a sense of landscape, but had to generalize the color of light in these paintings.
The Impressionist movement was born in France with the invention of new pigments which were available in a greater assortment of bright, rich colors. The great advantage was that these paints were packed into small, portable tubes which kept them moist and workable, and were easy to carry and convenient to use. This gave artists the ability to paint on location which gave birth to the exciting new “Plein Air ” movement.
Impressionism’s most famous practitioner was Claude Oscar Monet. As one of the first artists to paint directly from nature, he recognized that there was color in the shadows as well as in the light planes. Witnessing first hand the incredible variety of color in light and atmosphere, relating what he was seeing to the new vibrant palette, Monet dedicated his entire life's work to studying this diversity.
Monet’s Influence
Monet influenced many well known and respected American Impressionist painters such as Frederick Childe Hassam, John Henry Twachtman, and William Merrit Chase. Chase, a renown American portrait painter considered himself a “tonalist.” Although he admired the French movement, he declared that he would continue to use his favorite color, “Brown.” His landscapes did begin to reflect some of richer and brighter color of Impressionism, which fortunately had a strong influence on his student and prodigy, Charles. W. Hawthorne.
Hawthorne’s Inspiration
At the turn of the 20th century, Provincetown, Massachusetts was a quiet fishing village on the tip of Cape Cod. Hawthorne discovered that it had the same luminous quality of light as the European coastal towns favored by the French Impressionists. He established the Cape Cod School of Art in 1899 which was the first American school dedicated solely to the ideals of Impressionist painting.
Hawthorne’s reputation as a great painter and educator attracted such scores of artists and writers to Provincetown, that it quickly became the largest art colony in the world. His unconventional approach to learning color theory became legendary. Students painted models posing in glaring sun on the beach, using only a 2 inch putty knife. The clumsy tool forced them to apply large dollops of paint, making it impossible to render the model’s features. The objective of these “mud-heads" as they came to be known, was to capture the effects of sunlight on the figure using large simple masses of color without detail.
Sadly, Hawthorne died unexpectedly. In 1935, the school continued under the direction of his most outstanding student, Henry Hensche.
Henry Hensche: Hawthorne’s Successor
Henry Hensche became Hawthorne’s teaching assistant in 1927. He was devoted to Hawthorne and spent over 50 years extolling Hawthorne as one of the greatest artists of our time. However, truth be told, those of us who were lucky enough to study with Hensche knew that he had far surpassed his mentor.
Hensche developed an entirely different approach for teaching students to see and paint light. Beginners, whether professional or novice painters, painted colored blocks in brilliant sunlight. The simple shapes made it easier to concentrate on only interpreting light and color. He wanted to eliminated preoccupation with subject matter and making a “pretty picture.’ These “Block studies” became such an effective training tool that it is still being used by all of Hensche’s devotees that are teaching this color theory today.
Hawthorne and Hensche are credited for keeping American Impressionism alive in the United States. They embodied the single link between French and American Impressionism when the modern art movement began overshadowing realistic painting in the early 20th century.
Because of these artists’ dedication to Impressionist color theory, Americans remained more faithful to Impressionism’s artistic principles and philosophy than those artists in Europe where it all began.
I was a student of Henry Hensche. In 1986 I was given the great honor of becoming the next director of the school.
Lois Griffel: The Third Director
Long before Henry’s retirement at the age of 85, I tutored many students in the winter months, when the school was closed. One summer, two newcomers impressed Henry with their competence in painting block studies. When asked where they learned how to paint so well, they told him they had been working with me. Henry turned to me at that moment and said, “Guess you do know what you are doing.” It was the best compliment he ever gave me.
In recent years, we have been so fortunate to experience a resurgence of interest in plein air painting in the United States.
As director of the Cape Cod School of Art, I have been determined to uphold its long tradition of painting color and light.
I believe that Impressionism is not only a precious tradition, but that it has been universally embraced in all contemporary realist painting today.
The Legacy
For more than 104 years, the school has remained dedicated to the tenets of color theory. Its name has become almost synonymous with Impressionist painting. Students have branched out into other styles and painting mediums built on the fundamental skills they learned on the Cape.
For Monet, the ever-changing effects of light on nature was the most important reason for painting. His obsession and efforts to record every nuance is known to just about every art scholar and art practitioner. Monet’s many “series” paintings, such as the “Grainstacks” and “Rouen Cathedral,” are constant reminders of his dedication towards this ideal.
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“No, I am not a great painter, nor a great poet.... I only know that I do what I can to express what I feel in the presence of nature.” |
| Monet to Geffroy, Giverney, 7 June 1912 |
For Hawthorne, because the majority of his students were classically trained artists, the importance of seeing color instead of line and detail was his greatest passion. The enthusiasm of his teachings has been preserved in a book published after his death, based on students’ notes regarding his lectures and demonstrations. “Hawthorne on Painting,” by Dover Publications, $3.50, is still available.
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“Anything under the sun is beautiful if you have the vision-it is the seeing of the things that makes it so.” |
Charles W. Hawthorne
Hawthorne on Painting, Pitman Publishing 1938 |
For Hensche, the essential elements of learning to see the light key was to study the main masses and the variations within these masses." Although Hensche rarely quoted anyone other than Hawthorne, one of his most powerful tenets came from Cezanne who said "every form change is a color change."
Many of Hensche’s students became famous artists and teachers in their own right. Dozens of articles have been featured about his students, his influence and his dedication, in recent issues of all contemporary American magazines.
| “Beautiful color is not a God-given gift for the few, but is the reward of any who care enough to make sufficient effort to acquire it.” |
| Henry Hensche |
For me, the thrill and challenge of standing before nature with her endless variety and beauty is a humbling reminder that I must always remain a student. Each painting unlocks answers to understanding light, revealing more of nature’s secrets.
| ”Teaching painting gives me a wonderful opportunity to combine my love of people with my love of painting.“ |
| Lois Griffel |
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Lois Griffel · 3363 S. Calle del Albano · Green Valley, Arizona, 85622 · 520-207-4055 · lois@loisgriffel.com
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