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William Strang:
Self portrait, 154
Framed (ref: 7270)
Signed with initials, numbered 154

Tags: William Strang pencil artists at work men portraits 1.Master Drawings 1.PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST

Provenance: Laurence W. Hodson; Chinfineart; Private collection.

Literature: Llewellyn, Sacha, and Paul Liss. Portrait of an Artist. Liss Llewellyn, 2021, p.248.

This self-portrait by Strang is the original drawing for his etching of 1890, (hence the same composition in reverse).  

The artist, aged 41, was mid career and already renowned  as an etcher by this point

The technique and composition owes much  to  Alphonse Legros (1837-1911), who had taught Strang earlier at the Slade and who subsequently became the assistant master in Legros' etching class. 

 

The National Portrait Gallery, self portrait, etching, 1890

In his younger years he was a noted serial self-portraitist. The etchings having a wide variety of poses, or setting, or are distinguished by the wearing of a specific hat. His unique lithographic self-portrait was probably prompted by or made at the invitation of Joseph Pennell, himself a keen lithographer, for his book on lithography and lithographers. Pennell commented in his book “Mr Strang’s lithographs so far have been few, but those few have as marked a character as his etchings. They are mainly portraits, simple and dignified, with a touch of severity that has its charm. The one now given, an admirable example of his methods, is an excellent portrait of himself, so sincere and straight-forward a study that we can only hope Mr Strang will be induced to continue his experiments in a medium which he evidently finds so congenial.

We are grateful to Elizabeth Harvey-Lee for the above information