A member of one of Boston's most distinguished families (son of the acclaimed author, orator, and preacher Reverend Edward Everett Hale and a descendant of Governor William Bradford through his mother Emily Baldwin Perkins), Philip Leslie Hale is celebrated as an important member of the Boston School of figure painters as well as an innovative American Impressionist. A critical trip to Giverny, France in 1888 where he joined a circle of American ex-patriate painters which included Theodore Robinson, Thomas Wendel, Theodore Earl Butler, as well as the legendary Claude Monet, inspired Hale to lighten his palette and to adopt a painting technique more fluid than his previous traditional manner of painting which reflected his academic training under Jules-Joseph Lefèbre, Gistave Boulanger, and Henri Doucet at the École de Beaux Arts.
For those deeply engaged in art history, some artists stand out for their sophistication. These figures are celebrated for their technique, theories, and artistic quality, though they may remain largely unknown to the wider circle of collectors. Historically, it was often art dealers who took the lead in studying these artists and introducing their work to discerning clients.
Philip Leslie Hale is one such artist. Cited by Dr. William Gerdts as a significant figure in American art, Hale was a member of The Ten, also known as the Tarbellites. This group was central to the Boston school of American Impressionism. Yet Hale's importance extends beyond that. He frequently traveled to France, especially to Giverny, where he immersed himself in the evolving theories of Impressionism. He brought these ideas back to the United States, contributing to their interpretation through both writing and teaching.
Many of Hale’s paintings feature titles that reference sunlight and use words like “flash” and “glare.” This choice reflects his interest in capturing the effects of light and atmosphere, rather than simply recording physical forms. The painting discussed here illustrates this goal. It focuses not just on a distant view, but on how light transforms space, how leaves shimmer in sunlight, and how a quiet sky can remain luminous.
Few American artists explored Impressionism with the depth and personal vision Hale achieved. This painting, aptly titled Study, reflects his ongoing pursuit of discovery. It shows an artist thinking through the process of seeing and translating what he observes onto the canvas. Blue Hills from the Artist’s Bedroom is both poetic and precise. It likely stems from Hale’s desire to capture light moving across the land—from distant hills to nearby trees. The work invites viewers to consider how light alters form, and how colors appear and shift in nature.
The painting also rewards close attention to brushwork. Hale’s technique is sensitive and skilled, with subtle variations across the surface. The strokes in the sky differ from those in the foliage, creating a rhythm that gives the painting movement and energy. More than a landscape, it captures the quiet emotion we feel when observing the fleeting beauty of the natural world.
It is probable that this scene was painted from his home in Dedham, Massachusetts where he lived with his wife Lillian Wescott Hale. It was a farmhouse with orchards and extensive gardens. They had moved there in 1912 and this painting would have been done between that time and not later than 1920. It is not signed and that was very much a common occurrence with his canvases to be lacking a signature and or any markings including a date.
Canvases by Hale are difficult to come by and it is not known why more of his work comes into the open marketplace. In today’s market that lends itself to newer collectors not knowing who the artist is and why he might be desirable. There was a time when this made for higher value as rarity and difficulty to buy an artist made them more expensive. American Impressionism was a relatively small movement and even smaller are the number of exceptional works in terms of quality. This canvas speaks to the best of what this artist did in terms of technique. Years ago, it would have been preferable to have a female figure in a long white gown in the painting. Today, these landscapes ring with a sense of timelessness because they are not marked by a person in period dress.
Spanierman Gallery, New York (acquired by 1987)
Acquired from the above by private collector
Sotheby's NY, October, 2023