plate no. 2219
Wash Day - A Back Yard Reminiscence of Brooklyn
William Merritt Chase, 1886
recreation guide
William Merritt Chase’s *Wash Day - A Back Yard Reminiscence of Brooklyn* (1886) is a genre painting executed in oil on panel, reflecting his transition toward Impressionism during the late 1880s. Chase was known for his fluency in oil painting and his 'noble sense of color,' often depicting scenes of domestic tranquility or everyday life with a focus on light and atmosphere rather than strict realism (Source 3). The work aligns with his broader practice of painting figures in outdoor or semi-outdoor settings, such as his later landscapes at Shinnecock or scenes in Prospect Park, where he emphasized the effects of natural light (Source 3). As a genre piece, it portrays ordinary activities without attaching specific historical or portrait identities to the figures, focusing instead on the visual harmony and mass of the scene (Source 8).
estimated time
20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions
materials
4 items
steps
4 in sequence
materials
| item | purpose | modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Oil paints | Primary medium; Chase was most fluent in oil painting (Source 3). | High-quality tube oils (e.g., Winsor & Newton, Gamblin) |
| Wood panel | Support surface; the artwork is specified as 'oil, panel' (Artwork Metadata). | Pre-primed birch or poplar panel |
| Brushes (various sizes) | To apply paint in broad masses and handle the 'vitality' of the medium (Source 4). | Hog bristle for impasto, sable for finer details if needed |
| Solvents (turpentine/mineral spirits) | For thinning paint and cleaning brushes. | Odorless mineral spirits |
preparation
surface prep
The artwork is on panel. While specific priming methods for this 1886 work are not detailed in the sources, Chase’s Impressionist style suggests a ground that allows for visible brushwork and color contrast. Standard practice for this period involved a white or off-white gesso ground to enhance the luminosity of the oil layers, consistent with the 'mass drawing' approach where flat appearances on the retina are prioritized (Source 6).
underdrawing
Chase’s style is described as 'impressionist' and focused on 'mass drawing' rather than outline drawing (Source 6). It is likely that he used minimal underdrawing, perhaps sketching directly with thinned paint or charcoal to establish the major masses of light and shadow, avoiding the 'instinct' of outline drawing that satisfies the 'felt shape' rather than the visual appearance (Source 6).
underpainting
Not explicitly described in sources. However, given the emphasis on 'mass drawing' and the reduction of complicated appearances to simple masses (Source 6), an underpainting in neutral tones (grisaille or verdaccio) may have been used to establish values before applying color, though Chase’s direct painting style might have bypassed this in favor of direct color application.
color palette
Complementary contrasts
Varied, depending on the specific hues used in the scene
To create harmony and avoid monotony, using grey to break tones and complementary colors to enhance contrast (Source 1).
Light tones
Whites, yellows, light blues
To represent the 'highest tone' bands and create chiaroscuro effects through juxtaposition (Source 2).
Broken tones/greys
Mixtures of complementary colors to create neutralized tones
To bring out colors by contrast and avoid crudity or too great intensity (Source 1).
composition
The composition likely relies on the principle of 'mass drawing,' reducing the scene to simple masses of light and shadow rather than detailed outlines (Source 6). Chase characteristically featured people prominently in his landscapes and genre scenes, using them to anchor the composition and provide scale (Source 3). The arrangement of figures and objects would be designed to create a 'true gradation of light' through the juxtaposition of different tones (Source 2).
step by step
underdrawing→first pass→refining→finishing
underdrawing
step 01
Sketch the major masses of the composition lightly, focusing on the flat appearances on the retina rather than detailed outlines.
Tip — Avoid defining edges too early; think in terms of light and shadow shapes.
Mass Drawing
first pass
step 02
Apply broad strokes of paint to establish the primary color masses and values. Use complementary colors to enhance contrast where needed.
Tip — Ensure that the highest tone bands are not enfeebled by adjacent darks, and vice versa, to maintain chiaroscuro (Source 2).
Color Contrast
refining
step 03
Break tones with grey to avoid monotony and enhance the distinction between remote planes. Use complementary colors to bring out specific hues.
Tip — If colors appear too crude or intense, mix them with grey or use lighter tones of their respective scales (Source 1).
Harmony of Contrast
finishing
step 04
Refine the details while maintaining the integrity of the painted symbols. Do not attempt to deceive the eye into seeing real nature, but express the feeling through the medium (Source 4).
Tip — Remember that the picture is a painted symbol, not a substitute for nature (Source 4).
Expressive Symbolism
critical techniques
Mass Drawing
Reducing complicated appearances to simple masses of light and shadow, prioritizing visual appearance over tactile form (Source 6).
Color Contrast
Using complementary colors and grey to break tones, creating harmony and avoiding monotony (Source 1).
Chiaroscuro through Color
Creating gradations of light through the juxtaposition of different tones, where the highest tone is enfeebled and the lowest is heightened at the line of juxtaposition (Source 2).
common pitfalls
- →Attempting to produce a meretricious deception of natural appearances, which subordinates the enjoyment of the medium (Source 4).
- →Over-modeling or being too tied down to outlines, which contradicts the mass-drawing approach (Source 7).
- →Using crude or too intense colors without breaking them with grey or complementary tones, leading to a lack of harmony (Source 1).
what the sources don't tell us
Where the corpus is silent, we say so rather than guess. These are the gaps a complete recreation guide would normally cover that our source passages don't.
- ·Specific pigment palette used by Chase for this particular painting is not detailed in the sources.
- ·Exact brushwork techniques (e.g., impasto thickness, specific brush types) are not described.
- ·The specific layout of the backyard scene (e.g., position of laundry lines, figures) is not described in the sources, so compositional details must be inferred from general genre painting conventions.
grounded in
The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 328-331 — applied to Color palette and harmony techniques
- 6 — applied to Chiaroscuro and tone juxtaposition
The Practice and Science of Drawing↗
- V MASS DRAWING — applied to Underdrawing and compositional approach
- XX MATERIALS — applied to Philosophy of oil painting and avoiding deception
cross-referenced from
Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.
Wikipedia bio — William Merritt Chase↗
- Style and subject matter — applied to Artist’s general practice and medium fluency
Wikipedia: Genre painting↗
- Genre painting — part 1 — applied to Definition and characteristics of the genre
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
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