Chicago-born artist Richard Judson Zolan (1931 – 2001) was one of the most highly regarded practitioners of American Impressionism. He graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago and studied at the Art Students League in New York City, where he came under the influence of instructor Louis Rittman. Himself a pupil of Monet, Rittman introduced Zolan to the dappled light and vivid colors of Impressionism. In his romantic paintings, Zolan successfully fused modern and traditional elements to forge his own unique vision.