Walter Shirlaw

Frank Duveneck, Walter Shirlaw, ca. 1873, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Walter Shirlaw, 1913.11.5
Copied Frank Duveneck, Walter Shirlaw, ca. 1873, oil on canvas, 23 7⁄8 x 18 in. (60.8 x 45.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Walter Shirlaw, 1913.11.5
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Walter Shirlaw
Artist
Date
ca. 1873
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
23 7⁄8 x 18 in. (60.8 x 45.7 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Walter Shirlaw
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Keywords
  • Occupation — art — painter
  • Occupation — art — painter
  • Occupation — art — designer
  • Occupation — art — printmaker
  • Portrait male — Shirlaw, Walter — bust
Object Number
1913.11.5
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1913.11.5

Artwork Description

Walter Shirlaw was a painter and illustrator who studied in Munich, Germany, where he met and befriended Frank Duveneck. Shirlaw was a founder and first president of the Society of American Artists, and a teacher at the Art Students League in New York. In Munich, Duveneck learned the technique of painting a face in lighter tones against a dark background to heighten the psychological power of a portrait. Here, Shirlaw’s direct gaze and firmly set lips convey a no-nonsense personality. Duveneck captured the reflections of light in Shirlaw’s enormous, liquid eyes with dabs of pigment brushed directly into areas of still-wet paint.