During his stay in the capital, he was particularly interested in the works of Paul Cézanne and Vincent Van Gogh. He is also inspired by the impressionist Childe Hassam. Maurice Prendergast mainly reproduces scenes of daily life in Paris and by the sea. Watercolors on paper Picking Flowers from 1891 and Small Fishing Boats, Tréport, France from 1894 are examples. His style is singular: he creates many contrasts with light colors to design flattened and simplified forms. This aspect is accentuated in his watercolors, the technique he uses the most.  In fact, many art critics claim that his works are similar to mosaics or tapestries. From the second half of the 1890s, he realized hundreds of monotypes. He will be truly interested in oil painting only from the early 1900s. However, his canvases remain his least used technique.

In 1895, Maurice Prendergast returns to Boston. Three years later, the artist went to Venice. This trip is decisive for his career: he discovers the works of Vittore Carpaccio which inspire him to create more complex and dynamic works. Moreover, his watercolors representing this city, such as the watercolor and pencil on paper The Porch of the Old Mosaics, St. Marks, Venice, dating from 1898-1899, remain his most appreciated creations today. 

In 1900, Maurice Prendergast began to gain recognition by participating in various exhibitions at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Macbeth Gallery in New York. In 1908, he participated in an exhibition with seven members of the Ash Can School, a school with an American realist style. The eight painters then formed the group The Eight. This group advocated exhibitions without juries, competition, and restrictive rules in order to allow a better rise for small artists. Although Prendergast adheres to the group for his ideologies, the style of his works does not fall into their category: critics place him among the post-impressionists.

Maurice Prendergast continued to exhibit and produce works until his death in 1924 in New York.

Sophie Couturier

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