Lot Essay
Hassam's paintings of Parisian boulevards have long been acknowledged as masterworks of the artist's oeuvre, and the present work, September Sunlight, is among his finest Impressionist works of Parisian thoroughfares. As Hassam turned to the streets and boulevards of Paris for inspiration, he observed finely dressed Parisians being driven in carriages and strolling along the promenades, providing a view into the leisure lives of the upper class. This procession personifies the dynamism of the city that Hassam found fascinating. In an interview he noted, "There is nothing so interesting to me as people. I am never tired of observing them in everyday life, as they hurry through the streets on business or saunter down the promenade on pleasure. Humanity in motion is a continual study to me." (as quoted in W. Adelson, "Cosmopolitan and Patriot," Childe Hassam: Impressionist, pp. 34, 37)