William Strang
William Strang, 1859 - 1921. Artist (Self-portrait)
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National Galleries of Scotland collection. Photo, National Galleries of Scotland.
William Strang, William Strang, 1859 - 1921. Artist (Self-portrait)
About this artwork
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.
Updated before 2020
- Artist:
- William Strang (1859 - 1921) Scottish
- Title:
- William Strang, 1859 - 1921. Artist (Self-portrait)
- Date:
- About 1919
- Materials:
- Oil on canvas
- Measurements:
- 53.30 x 38.10 cm; Framed: 65.00 x 49.80 cm
- Object type:
- Painting
- Credit line:
- Purchased 1924
- Accession number:
- PG 966
- Gallery:
- In Storage
- Depicted:
- William Strang
- Subjects:
- Self-portrait
- Artwork photographed by:
- Antonia Reeve
True colours
William Strang
Born in Dumbarton, William Strang was briefly a clerk in the family shipbuilding firm before he entered the Slade School of Art in London in 1876. At the Slade he was deeply influenced by the teaching of Alphonse Legros, particularly the etching class which Legros instituted in 1877. The subject…
William Strang
During his lifetime, Dumbarton-born William Strang (1859 – 1921) built up an international reputation as a highly skilled and imaginative printmaker, portraitist and painter.;
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