Lilla Cabot Perry: Promoting Impressionism

"Light and Reflection (Edith Perry)"
by Lilla Cabot Perry

"A radical transformation in Lilla Cabot Perry's style took place during that first summer at Giverny. She started employing the Impressionist broken-color technique, applying bright pigments directly onto her canvas. It was a beginning of a seesaw battle. Sometimes russet brown hues and chiaroscuro effects evoked the Old Masters of Italy far more than the French so-called 'avant-garde.' At other times loose brushwork with strong contours and the influence of Monet's approach were most manifest.

The Perrys also purchased a number of the Impressionists' paintings which they brought home with them later that year and began to champion their work. Conservative Bostonians showed little enthusiasm for Monet's view of Etretat which the Perrys gifted to Thomas' brother-in-law, William Pepper. Pepper himself was delighted and commissioned a second Monet in 1891. The Perrys also brought back a collection of John Breck's vibrant landscapes which were privately exhibited at their residence that winter. Prospective patrons were unimpressed, but Lilla was determined to foster this 'new truth' in painting. Several colleagues from Boston's art museum also helped her organize the first public exhibition of Breck's landscapes in November 1890 at the prestigious St. Botolph Club.

After another brief stint in France, their green and gold salon once again became the meeting ground where 'the Crowned heads of Boston,' as Philip Hale called them, were confronted with Giverny's 'thirst' for more light. Lilla helped organize a joint show for 'the two Theodores' - Robinson and Wendel - at the Williams and Everett Gallery in Boston.  In spite of excellent reviews of Robinson's work in the press, however, Perry later recalled that she was the only person who purchased one of his paintings. Later, pictures of his sold from five to fifty thousand dollars. Monet's exhibition that same spring attracted more attention, though conservative Boston remained reticent in accepting his work.

Two events at the end of January 1894 indicate that a small but influential circle in Boston actively promoted the new movement. The first was Lillas' lecture on Monet and his methods at the Boston Art Students' Association. The second was the group exhibition of Impressionism at the St. Botolph Club, considered 'epoch making' by the local press. The 'leading local artists...of the new guild' featured in the show were Tarbell, Hale, Wendel, Vinton, Dawson-Watson and Mrs. L. C. Perry.' Could it be that the tide was turning?"

To be continued

(Excerpts from "Lilla Cabot Perry: An American Impressionist" by Meredith Martindale.)