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Description: SHINNECOCK HILLS (A VIEW OF SHINNECOCK) signed " Wm. M. Chase, " dated " Shinnecock Hills, 1891 " and inscribed " Sketch made to illustrate (sic) one way to begin a study, " l.l. - - oil on panel 17 7/8 x 24 in. (45.5 x 61 cm.) PROVENANCE Caroline Demming Ostrom, a student of the artist By descent through the family to the present owner Although Chase considered this work a sketch as indicated in his inscription on the painting itself, he undoubtedly thought it a successful painting in its own right or he would not have inscribed and signed the work. In fact, in his first one-man show in America at the Boston Art Club in 1886, Chase exhibited works which he labeled Sketch, Study and Unfinished Picture, a daring act that shocked some critics but appealed to his fellow artists. Chase considered the act of painting and the process of painting almost as important as the final results. Chase's bold, direct and vital brushstrokes serve to enliven the painting and give it a certain verve and vivacity. It is just such a quality that so greatly appealed to his fellow artists, who referred to Chase as a "painter's painter'. (Ronald G. Pisano) This painting will be included in Ronald G. Pisano's forthcoming catalogue raisonne of Chase's work.