An influential artist and teacher at the turn of the 20th century, Chase was trained in America and Europe. Obtaining a teaching position at the Art Students League in 1878, he espoused the dark somber palette and bravura brushstrokes of his Munich training. On a summer trip to Europe with artist friends in 1882, he and his colleagues amused the other passengers on the ship by each decorating a panel in the Captain's cabin. One of these, Under a French Sky, was inspired by the landscapes Chase remembered from earlier trips to France. The light and airy touch in color and paint handling is a precursor of things to come in Chase's painting. He is best known for his sunny landscapes, painted outdoors in Central Park, Brooklyn, and Shinnecock, Long Island (no exhibition title or date).