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Dorothy Copus Brush Hassam's art showed pride in the U.S. This week, Old Glory is flying in towns and
cities across the nation honoring the Fourth of July. Just before
our country entered World War I, New York City showed their support
with patriotic events of all kinds and the buildings were filled
with waving red, white and blue flags. Artist Childe Hassam was
inspired to devote all the years of that war to painting scenes
of flags flying. Childe Hassam was a distinguished American
painter and etcher, and he was part of a group of impressionists
called Ten American Painters. Born in Dorchester, MA, he studied
in Boston and Paris. It was there that he became fascinated by
the Impressionists and their use of brilliant colors with touches
of pure pigment. When he returned to the States, he settled in
New York City. Hassam did his first flag painting in 1916
and, later, he explained how he became inspired to concentrate
on flags as his prime subjects. He said, "There was that
Preparedness Day. I looked up the avenue and saw those wonderful
flags waving, and I painted the series of flag pictures after
that." Preparedness Day was held on May 13, 1916,
and consisted of an enormous parade and decorations along Fifth
Ave. The parade lasted almost 13 hours, and more than 137,000
marchers from all walks of life took part in it. Following that parade Hassam's paintings reflected
the traditional patriotic spirit of the country and the nation's
pride in its modern power. By 1917, flags were an essential part
of his paintings, and the flags became larger and more prominent
as they flew from New York's first age of skyscrapers. The American
flag was always present, but because the war was a unified effort,
many of his pictures included flags of the Allies. The streets
were always filled with pedestrians as, above them, flags flew
from the cities' important buildings. The last flag painting was named Victory Won,
1919. The scene was of many American flags on towering skyscrapers
surrounded by large blue and white victory pennants and red and
white victory banners. This painting has a misty quality and
gives the viewer a sense of serenity in the newfound peace. Only four days after World War I ended, Childe
Hassam's flag paintings were shown as a series of 24 at a prestigious
New York art gallery. It was an impressive grouping and, as the
city pondered a memorial to honor the nation's fallen, the flag
series was considered. An exhibition was arranged to raise $100,000
by popular subscription to acquire the entire set as a permanent
public memorial. The exhibition catalogue called the paintings
"intimate, authentic historical records of New York City's
war activities." The flag series did not have enough support
or the funds to assure the survival of the grouping. Hassam wrote
his agent, "I have heard it before!! Nobody ever heard of
New York subscribing anything for fine arts." His bitterness
came through as he concluded, "I don't care a damn what
you do about it." After that the series was dispersed. Some
went to private collections, and others to museums and galleries
across the country. In Washington, DC, one belongs to the White
House and several others are owned by the National Gallery of
Art and the Smithsonian. Childe Hassam died in 1935, before World War II ended the myth that World War I was the "war to end all wars." |