The son of landscape painter Lemuel Maynard Wiles, Irving Ramsay Wiles grew up in upstate New York, where his father worked first as a teacher and then later as an art instructor. The Wiles family resided in Perry, New York, where his father would later establish the Silver Lake Art School. Irving studied with and assisted his father regularly before moving on to the Art Students League under the instruction of James Carroll Beckwith, Thomas Wilmer Dewing, and William Merritt Chase.
Chase was an impressive figure in the New York art world of the 1880s and Wiles emulated him throughout his career, maintaining a lavish studio, succeeding him as an important teacher, and even setting up a plein air school on Long Island, just as Chase did. For his part, Chase thought Wiles to be one of the most talented students he ever had, and he encouraged Wiles to continue his studies abroad.

Wiles first studied at the Académie Julian in Paris before entering the atelier of Carolus-Duran. Carolus, who attracted young Americans because of the dazzling success of his former student John Singer Sargent, taught a method of painting directly from the model with minimum preparatory drawing, which was the antithesis of the laborintensive style advocated by the École des Beaux-Arts. His system was to create the illusion of form not through line, but through the juxtaposition of colors or tones.1 Wiles employed this technique for the rest of his life, becoming a master of the seemingly effortless bravura brushstroke.

In 1886 Wiles was elected as a member of the Society of American Artists and in 1897 elected to the National Academy of Design. In the winter time, he taught at the Art Students League and the Chase School in New York. During the summers, he would travel with his family to Peconic on Long Island across the bay from Chase's studio in the Shinnecock Hills.
"The White Sloop" (Peconic Bay) is a quintessential example of Wiles's skill as an artist, showcasing his mastery of light and his deep connection to the coastal New York landscape. While Wiles was best known for his society portraits of prominent figures of the Gilded Age, his landscapes and seascapes, particularly those painted in Peconic, reveal a different, more personal and informal side of his artistic practice.

The painting, dated 1907, captures a serene marine scene with a white-sailed sloop as its focal point. The fluid brushwork and vibrant color palette are characteristic of the American Impressionist style that Wiles was known for, an approach influenced by his teacher and friend, William Merritt Chase. Wiles's technique, often compared to that of John Singer Sargent, demonstrates a "seemingly effortless bravura brushstroke" that creates the illusion of form and light through the careful juxtaposition of tones.

The setting of Peconic, Long Island, held great significance for Wiles. He and his father established a summer art school there in 1895, and Wiles later built his own cottage and studio in the area, making it his summer home for many years. The beautiful scenery became his preferred subject matter during this period, and his paintings from this time are considered some of his most complete explorations of the Impressionist aesthetic. "The White Sloop" is an intimate portrait of this beloved location, reflecting the artist's personal connection to the quiet waters and picturesque landscape of Peconic Bay.

1 Reynolds, Wiles, 12.

We are grateful to Geoffrey K. Fleming, Director & CEO of the Reading Public Museum in Reading, Pennsylvania and author of "Irving Ramsay Wiles, N.A., 1861-1948: Portraits and Pictures, 1899-1948" for his assistance cataloging this painting.