Frank DuveneckAmerican, 1848–1919Walter Shirlaw
Can I see it?
Unknown
Where is “Walter Shirlaw” now? Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. Unknown.
Washington, D.C., United States
The owner is known; whether it is on view today is not.
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
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.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Details
- Accession number
- 1913.11.5
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Image: Smithsonian American Art Museum — CC0
