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William Strang, 1859 - 1921. Artist (Self-portrait)
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William Strang, 1859 - 1921. Artist (Self-portrait) about 1919
  • Scottish Art
William Strang was a talented painter as well as a masterly and prolific printmaker. His etchings include striking portraits of sitters such as Thomas Hardy, Rudyard Kipling and Robert Louis Stevenson. Towards the end of his life Strang etched less and painted more. Inspired by Dutch artist Rembrandt, he produced a series of self-portraits in a variety of guises. This late work of 1919 is based on Rembrandt?s self-portraits in old age, painted during the last years of the Dutch master?s life. Like Rembrandt, Strang portrayed himself wearing contemporary head gear, with his body turned to the right but his gaze directed at the viewer. His expression can equally be read as one of tiredness, melancholy and discontent.

Glossary Open

Etching

A form of printmaking in which a metal plate is covered with a substance called a 'ground', usually wax, into which an image is drawn with a needle. Acid is applied, eroding the areas of the plate exposed but not the areas covered by wax. The action of the acid creates lines in the metal plate that hold the ink from which a print is made when the plate is pressed against paper under pressure.

Print

An image pressed or stamped onto paper or fabric. This encompasses a wide variety of techniques, usually produced in multiples, although one-off prints, known as monoprints, are also included. The term is also applied to photographic images.

Etching, Print

Details

  • Acc. No. PG 966
  • Medium Oil on canvas
  • Size 53.30 x 38.10 cm (framed: 65.00 x 49.80 cm)
  • Credit Purchased 1924

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Scottish Art