“Mrs. Chaffee and I are aiming to bring the color print into its own art.”
—Blanche Lazzell
Ada Gilmore Chaffee’s lyrical depictions of Provincetown transform the town into a modern-day Arcadia, where the absence of worldly troubles allowed for reflection on deeper issues of life, death, and religion. The brooding nature of Chaffee’s Arcadian themes pervade Provincetown with a neoclassical nude meditating on a hill above the quaint New England village. The scene is dominated by two clapboard churches encircled by the homes of their parishioners, the delicate coloring of the locale reminiscent of the translucent quality of watercolor painting. Through Chaffee’s masterful use of the white-line woodcut technique, Provincetown highlights the splendor and harmony of the area’s natural landscape with a thoughtful contemplation that such picturesque scenery nurtures.