“After the Rain” is an artwork by William Merritt Chase, an esteemed figure in the art world. This oil on panel painting, dating back to 1913, is a beautiful example of the Impressionist movement. The artwork measures a modest 29.21 by 20.32 centimeters and portrays a cityscape, imbuing the observer with a sense of life in an urban setting following a rainfall. The painting is part of a private collection, highlighting its value and the esteem in which it is held.
The artwork features a vibrant city scene, with an emphasis on the effects of light and color that are characteristic of Impressionism. The foreground is dominated by reflections on water, which suggest a street or canal bathed in the diffuse glow of a recently departed storm. The surface of the water is rendered with an array of blues and greens interspersed with the golden and earthen hues echoed from the buildings above, creating a rich mosaic effect.
The viewer’s eye is invited upward to the buildings that crown the water’s edge. The architecture is suffused with a warm, yellow tone, perhaps the result of sunlight reclaiming its place in the sky. The darker windows and architectural details are sketched with a casual grace, sufficient to convey the impression of a populated and bustling urban space without delving into meticulous depiction. The softness of the brushwork imbues the scene with an atmospheric quality, a tranquil moment of respite as life resumes its rhythm after the cleansing of the rain.
This cityscape is a study in luminosity and atmosphere, capturing the transient nature of light as it interacts with the environment. Chase’s treatment of the subject matter is indicative of the Impressionist movement’s fascination with the immediacy of visual experience and the fleeting effects of natural light and color on each day’s unique look and feel of a city.
