William Merritt Chase: American Student in Munich, Pt. 3

"The Turkish Page (Unexpected Intrusion)
by William Merritt Chase

"The Turkish Page" by Frank Duveneck

"William Merritt Chase had a studio of his own in Munich, and it was in this studio that he and Frank Duveneck painted at the same time "The Turkish Page," and also his portrait of Duveneck called "The Smoker," done in 1875. Even in those days Chase had begun collecting beautiful art objects and furniture. It was through one of his purchases that this fine portrait of Duveneck, which was afterward unfortunately destroyed by fire, was painted. Chase had bought an old chair that had fascinated him. He exhibited it upon its arrival to Duveneck with his enthusiasm. 'Just look at it, man! Isn't it a wonderful thing, a beautiful thing?'

And feeling that he must paint it at once, he commanded his friend: 'Here, sit down there a minute, I want to see how it looks.' Duveneck sat carelessly on the arm of the chair, his long pipe in his hand. Liking the way it looked, Chase set to work at once to paint it. 'The chair, of course,' Duveneck explained. 'I was of no importance, merely an accessory.' So that is how the portrait, which received honorable mention at the Salon in 1881 and in Munich in 1883, came to be painted.

Chase left his mark upon student life in Munich. It was he who inaugurated the custom of having a student dinner about every two weeks, when photographs of old and modern masters were hung upon the walls, and one of the students chosen to talk about the art and work of the painter. The American Art Club in Munich was the outgrowth of these meetings. At one Thanksgiving dinner, Mark Twain, who was passing through at the time, was a guest.

Chase won a number of medals during his years in Munich and his position as a brilliant young painter became fully established. Before he left he was invited to become an instructor at the academy, an honor he deeply appreciated but declined. To this day he is well known and honorably remembered in the Bavarian city." 

To be continued

(Excerpts from"The Life and Art of William Merritt Chase" by  Katharine Metcalf Roof.)