The Serpentine, Hyde Park, London

Like the boulevards of Paris, London’s Hyde Park was the place to see and be seen. De Nittis interpreted this urban landscape with loose brushwork in the Impressionist style. The deeply shadowed foreground is balanced by brilliant sunlight that provides a high contrast burst of energy.

De Nittis enjoyed the good life. His filled his Paris apartment with friends like artists Edgar Degas and Edouard Manet and fed them lasagna, a specialty from his home in Naples. De Nittis influenced William Merritt Chase and perhaps inspired Louis Terah Haggin to purchase this painting as a reminder of when he lived in England.