First Touch of Autumn 

William Merritt Chase created this oil on canvas painting, titled “First Touch of Autumn,” during his time as an American Impressionist. Chase was a key figure in shaping American artistic taste and institutions during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As an influential teacher, he instilled in his students a love for European painting traditions, updated with a modern sensibility. Here, he captures the subtle shift in seasons through the muted tones of the landscape. This interest in capturing fleeting moments in nature aligns with broader trends in European Impressionism. Chase likely encountered these trends through his extensive travels and studies abroad, particularly in Munich and Paris, artistic centers which shaped much of art production at the time. To understand Chase’s work, you would look to exhibition records, period publications, and other artists' biographies to better understand how his art both reflected and shaped American cultural values in a time of rapid social change.