William Merritt Chase was one of the leading artists of America at the end of the 19th century as well as a distinguished teacher. Chase studied at the National Academy of Design in New York City and under Karl von Piloty for six years in Munich. He worked for a time in the grays and browns of the Munich school, but in the 1880s he took up a lighter palette, which was then popular in Paris.
An extremely effective teacher, Chase taught many pupils, first at the Art Students League of New York and then at his own school in New York City. He is best known for his portraits and figure studies, his still lifes of dead fish, and his studio interiors—e.g., “In the Studio” (1880–83). His mature style is notable for its bold and spontaneous brushwork and other marks of virtuoso execution.
This site is pretty helpful. : )
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/...
