Childe Hassam: At Dusk: Boston Common at Twilight by Erica Hirshler


Childe Hassam: At Dusk: Boston Common at Twilight
Title : Childe Hassam: At Dusk: Boston Common at Twilight
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 0878468374
ISBN-10 : 9780878468379
Language : English
Format Type : Paperback
Number of Pages : 76
Publication : First published July 28, 2015

In this vivid account of one of Boston's best-loved paintings, leading American art specialist Erica E. Hirshler illuminates the context of Childe Hassam's 1880s city scene. With its rosy rust tones, intimate familial vignette and quiet expanse of snow-laden park, today At Dusk (Boston Common at Twilight) seems to encourage reflection and represent a decidedly old-fashioned city. Yet Hirshler reveals the ways in which the painting visually signaled the emerging modern city, from subtleties about women's place in the urban landscape to the uproarious clang of the streetcars that would have been heard on the busiest block in Boston. Enriched with reproductions of related paintings and archival illustrations, this evocative volume explores the countered conventions and bulldozed buildings behind the canvas's creation. Carefully researched and elegantly presented, the latest addition to the MFA Spotlight series will delight Hassam fans and history buffs alike.

Childe Hassam: At Dusk: Boston Common at Twilight Reviews

  • Stefani Akins

    Even though I did not have the pleasure to see the actual painting on display, I picked this little book up on a whim. Not only was I not disappointed, I was in fact delighted by its well written and presented content. Skilfully interwoven bits of the artist's biography, his body of work in context with art movements of the time, and the historical setting in Boston at the birth of this painting make for interesting and engaging reading. I have read more voluminous books with less satisfaction. The only downside is a technical one: the paper is semi-glossy and therefore somewhat difficult to read in lamplight. Still, overall I highly recommend Ms Hirshler's book!

  • Karen

    Fans of this painting (and I know there are many) will enjoy this slender but detailed examination of Hassan’s work. Hirshler writes engagingly of the different elements of the painting which one wouldn’t necessarily know about when viewing it - the changes in architecture, modern inventions like electric light, social advances for women, fashion, etc.

    I also greatly enjoyed Hirshler’s book Sargent’s Daughters & would recommend that as well.

  • Tom

    A beautifully written book about a lovely painting. Hassam's portrait of Boston Common at twilight in the 1880s, once dismissed by critics, continues to delight those who view it. Hirschler dissects the painting almost inch by inch, wrapping together urban history, artistic technique, and biographical details of the artist. Who said art history is dull?