TitleSelf-Portrait
Artist
George Bernard Butler Jr.
(American, 1838 - 1907)
Daten.d.
MediumOil on canvas mounted on panel
DimensionsUnframed: 30 × 25 in.
SubmissionANA diploma presentation, May 6, 1872
Credit LineNational Academy of Design, New York, NY
Object number178-P
Label TextButler's straightforward depiction of himself seems an apt illustration of the salient characteristics of his style as described by W. C. Brownell: Not a painter of the virtuosic "portrait … la Mode" where technical brio is an end in itself, and yet not an artist to imbue his sitter with a profound sense of thoughtful engagement, Butler strove for an agreeable likeness which caused the subject to appear neither melancholic nor emotionally agitated. He follows the method of his master, Couture, whereby a preliminary reddish-brown monochrome design is built up by small brushy touches of brighter hues, forming a single-layer mosaic of color without overpainting. This process, described by Butler in his Scribner's article, was favored by the artist for the impression of spontaneity it allowed.
