Grey Day on the Charles (Primary Title)
John Leslie Breck, American, 1860 - 1899 (Artist)
Originating in France, impressionism quickly captured the American imagination in Boston, where artists and collectors pursued paintings by Claude Monet and his contemporaries. Having visited Monet’s home in Giverny in 1877, Breck was one of the earliest Americans to produce a modified version of the new style. He incorporated a light, bright impressionist palette; but, like most of his American colleagues who adopted the approach, he retained a somewhat conservative dedication to drawing and structure. Journalists quickly dubbed Breck the “Head of the American Impressionists”—a title he held until his premature death in 1899.
Avoiding the sweeping, panoramic landscapes popular earlier in the 19th century, American impressionists favored intimate glimpses of nature. Like their French counterparts, they often depicted idyllic rural retreats on the outskirts of industrialized urban centers. In Breck’s Grey Day, Boston lies just a few miles down the Charles River, out of sight and out of mind
"America's Impressionism: Echoes of a Revolution", Dixon gallery & Gardens, Memphis, TN, January 23-May 9, 2021; San Antonio Museum of Art, June 11 - September 5, 2021
"American Impressionism in the Garden", Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke, VA, February 17 - May 14, 2017
Monet and American Impresionism, Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville, Florida, February 3 - May 24, 2015; Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, Tennessee, June 27 - September 20, 2015; Telfair Museums, Savannah, Georgia, October 16, 2015 - January 24, 2016
Americans in Paris, 1860 - 1900, National Gallery, London, February 22 - May 21, 2006; MFA Boston, June 25 - September 24, 2006; Metropolitan Museum of Art, October 16, 2006 - January 28, 2007
America Around 1900: Impressionism, Realism, and Modern Life, VMFA, June 14 - September 17, 1995; Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, October 27, 1995 - January 14, 1996
American Impressionism and Realizm: The Painting of Modern Life, 1885 - 1915, Metropolitan Museum of Art, May 10 - July 24, 1994; Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, August 21 - October 30, 1994; Denver Art Museum, December 3, 1994 - February 2, 1995; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, March 12 - May 14, 1995
Memorial Exhibition of Paintings by John Leslie Breck, St. Botolph Club, Boston, May 1 - 18, 1899; National Arts Club, New York, February 24 - March 10, 1900
(possibly) Society of American Artists, New York, March 24 - April 27, 1895, cat. no. 189, as "On the Charles River"
Some object records are not complete and do not reflect VMFA's full and current knowledge. VMFA makes routine updates as records are reviewed and enhanced.
