Ian Strang no. 1

A virtuoso of portraits and scenes of the working class with a sharp eye for depicting the truth of his subjects, William Strang (1859-1921) was a revered draughtsman and painter; however his most lucrative and productive mode of creation was printmaking, an integral part of his career throughout his lifetime. Critics such as Maurice Harold Grant noted Strang as a printmaker who was ‘keenly observant’ in all stages required of printmaking, particularly in his ability to transfer his immaculately drawn line into an equally impressive bitten plate.

Born in Dumbarton, Scotland in 1859 to working-class parents, Strang moved to London in 1875 at the age of 16. The following year he enrolled at the Slade School of Art, where he studied under the French Realist, Alphonse Legros. Strang excelled particularly in Legros’ recently introduced etching class, serving as Assistant Master in the class for two years after graduating. Strang’s style was heavily influenced by Legros; both artists having working-class backgrounds, leading to a strong undercurrent of social justice in many of Strang’s works. Early in his career Strang made many etchings of working class life in a realist manner, as well as works of allegory and delightfully macabre fantasy. An increase in requests for commissions after the mid-1890s meant that Strang focused more on portraiture and painting. However, he still continued to work as a printmaker throughout his career – becoming President of the International Society of Sculptors, Painters and Gravers in 1918. A month before his death in 1921, Strang was elected an Engraver Member of the Royal Academy.

Strang is perhaps best known for his etchings of famous artistic and literary sitters such as the art historian and curator Campbell Dodgson (Te Papa 1968-0001-43) and author Rudyard Kipling (Te Papa 1956-0001-17). While many of his portraits were commissioned, Strang’s artistic preoccupations did not lie with capturing the ‘beauty’ of the sitter. Instead he picks out the most human traits of the individual, highlighting their idiosyncracies and favouring honesty and psychological intensity over glamour and handsomeness.

In this portrait of the artist’s son, Strang has unusually described in much detail the entire smock and beret that Ian wears, as well as much of his domestic surroundings, including objects on the mantlepiece. Usually in his portraits, Strang follows the convention of the incomplete but finished portrait, which stems from such precedents as Antony van Dyck's Jan Brueghel (1645) (Te Papa 1952-0003-173). This convention places focus on the face and personal attributes of the sitter, which perfectly suits an artist such as Strang whose strengths lie in his ability to capture personality. Yet in this etching, the clothing is described in just as much detail as the face. Despite this, Strang still manages to capture the youthfulness of his son, while perhaps some element of the bemused boredom at having to sit for his father is also captured in the face.

Sources:

Laurence Binyon, William Strang; Catalogue of his Etched Work, (Glasgow: James MacLehose and Sons, 1906), pp. vii – xvii.

Maurice Harold Grant, A Dictionary of British Etchers, (London: Rockliff, 1953), pp. 196-197.

National Galleries Scotland: https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/artists/william-strang

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Strang

Dr Mark Stocker   Curator, Historical International Art    January 2018