Alice (work of art)
Artwork Info
Key Ideas
- Lillian Westcott Hale was an American painter. She is best known for her portraits of women and girls in everyday scenes at home.
- Hale painted in the impressionist style. Impressionism is an art movement that began in Paris in the 1800s. Impressionist paintings often depict outdoor scenes using quick, loose brushstrokes in bright colors.
- Hale was married to artist Phillip Hale. They shared adjoining studio spaces throughout their marriage. The setting in this painting is the artist’s studio in Massachusetts.
Learn More
Lillian Westcott Hale was an American artist from Connecticut. Hale studied at the Hartford Art School, and in 1899 she attended the Shinnecock Hills Summer School of Art to study under William Merritt Chase. She attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Hale’s work includes charcoal drawings and paintings. Her work includes still lifes and landscapes, but she is best known for her portraiture. Her work often depicted the domestic lives of women and girls. In 1927 she won an Altman Prize from the National Academy of Design.
Hale painted in the impressionist style. Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that began in Paris. Impressionist artists used quick, loose brushstrokes and bright paint colors to create outdoor scenes. They often depicted different weather conditions, the movement of water, and the effects of sunlight at different times of day. Hale is associated with the Boston School of American Impressionism.
American Impressionism is characterized by loose brushstrokes and vivid colors. While American impressionist artists painted a variety of subjects, most focused on landscapes and the home life of the upper class. Their focus on these subjects ignored the rise of industrialization.
Hale was married to fellow painter Phillip Leslie Hale. Together they had one daughter, novelist Nancy Hale. Throughout their marriage they shared adjoining studio spaces. The colonial-period interior shown in this painting is actually the artist’s studio in Dedham, Massachusetts.
Additional Resources
Resources for Teachers
- Read an article about the artist and her work.
- Read an article about American Impressionism.
- Read an article about the women artists of the Boston School.
Resources for Students:
- View another work by the artist.
- Watch a video about a work by the artist.
- View another work by the artist.
Images
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Alice