The Sea 1892

Childe Hassam painted 'The Sea' in the style of American Impressionism, and its seeming calm hides a host of social and cultural tensions. The woman depicted here, most likely from the upper classes, sits in her private garden overlooking the sea. Yet, her turned back and the lush enclosure hint at the limitations placed on women's roles in the United States at the turn of the century. Hassam was working at a time of immense social change, when issues of gender and class were being hotly debated in the public sphere. The Impressionists often showed the leisure activities of the wealthy, but Hassam was concerned with modern American life and the restrictions of social norms. To understand this painting more fully, it is helpful to delve into the cultural debates of the time, studying magazines, journals, and literature to reconstruct the social context in which Hassam was working. Only then can we truly appreciate the painting's nuances and its place within the cultural landscape of its time.