Willard Metcalf preceded Ernest Lawson at the "Acadamie Julian." Lawson was a painter committed to the Impressionist aesthetic and was a member of the "Ashcan" School, a loosely organized group of American artists working in the impressionist style.

 Willard Metcalf (1858-1925), "Swollen Brook," 1923, oil on canvas, 29 1/4 x 33 1/4 inches

Swollen Brook typifies Metcalf's late work. He employs the device of a meandering stream, drawing the eye back and forth across the picture plane towards the foothills. The quick, short brush strokes convey a lush new growth on the land, an illusion reinforced by the palette. The painting makes reference to the French Impressionist style but is assuredly American.

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