Walter Shirlaw

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

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Artwork Details

Title: Walter Shirlaw
Artist: Frank Duveneck
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: oil
Mediums Description: oil on canvas
Classifications: Painting
Subjects: Portrait male — Shirlaw, Walter — bust
Occupation — art — printmaker
Occupation — art — designer
Occupation — art — painter
Occupation — art — painter
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.