The range of their work reveals that they were clearly not representative of any specific school of art . Paris began working in a style of “ severe minuteness , in the pre-Raphaelite way ,” but as night descended , and detail became blurred , he was forced to shift his approach , finishing his painting with a “ few smeary daubs , declaring himself an impressionist .” 44 Abbey attempted a windmill “ in colors ,” but the dramatic effect of its “ apparitional wings ” eluded him . 45 Reinhart produced a “ Nocturne in black and blue ,” obviously a pun on the titles James McNeill Whistler gave his tonal paintings of the 1860s ; and Quartley created a “ Hallucination in purple and prisms ,” perhaps a humorous allusion to Impressionism . 46
The artists found East Hampton to be a veritable “ painter ’ s gold-mine , all bits and nuggets ,” which they celebrated in their many on-the-spot sketches . 47 Their activity as plein-air painters ( an experience new to most of them ) is delightfully captured in Abbey ’ s painting en grisaille , Sketching at East Hampton , in which he portrayed his colleagues Quartley and Smith in a carefree moment of painting directly outdoors shielded from the harsh sun by umbrellas ( fig . 9 ). However , the main purpose in visiting East Hampton was to “ guy ,” or mock , the local celebrity John Howard Payne . Author of the tremendously popular song Home Sweet Home , which was said to have been inspired by his hometown of East Hampton , Payne was then living in England . After listening to endless tales of Payne ’ s early youth and visiting several cottages where he was said to have been born , the artists went back to painting . It is not clear how long the Tilers stayed in East Hampton — probably several days — before continuing on to Montauk . Before leaving , however , they entertained local villagers with their own musical rendition of Home Sweet Home . They reached Montauk by car-
Figure 8 . Charles Stanley Reinhart ( American , 1844 – 1896 ), The Tile Club and the Milliner of Bridgehampton , 1879 , charcoal and white wash on blue paper , The Miriam and Ira D . Wallach Division of Art , Prints and Photographs : Print Collection , The New York Public Library .
Figure 9 . Edwin Austin Abbey ( American , 1852 – 1911 ), Sketching at Easthampton , 1878 , watercolor and gouache on paper , 10 7/8 x 16 13 / 16 in ., Heckscher Museum of Art , gift of the Baker / Pisano Collection , 2001.9.1
Decorative Age or Decorative Craze ? 15