He drew inspiration from James Abbott McNeil Whistler (1834 - 1903) and former teacher William Merritt Chase (1849 - 1916), and often incorporated decorative Orientalist details. His dreamy aestheticism also recalls the hauntingly beautiful scenes of Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851 - 1938). Bell first studied art with Chase and Walter Shirlaw (1838 - 1909) at the Art Students League in the early 1880s. He also attended the National Academy of Design. He exhibited at the National Academy and at the Royal Academy in Munich, where he enrolled after 1883. Bell was notably associated with the Peconic Art Colony, located on the North Fork of Long Island. < Go Back