Nancy Strang

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 highly detailed portrait of his daughter Nancy, Strang uses a soft hand in engraving the many lines of her face, and large areas of highlight to create an elegant modelling of her likeness. The face is abundant in line and tone, while her smock is described in line only. Like many other etching revivalists, Strang followed in the tradition of 'unfinished but complete' portraits stemming from the Old Masters. One can see similarities between Strang and precedents such as Antony van Dyck's portraits, notably Jan Brueghel (1645) (Te Papa 1952-0003-173). Strang takes note not only of van Dyck’s half-finished tendency, but also in the rejection of adventitious light and shade. However, while many of the Old Master engravings focussed on the strength of line that the engraving burin could produce, Strang uses the line to create tone; his etchings often look more like the fine lines of a pencil drawing, highlighting the transferability of his skills in draughtsmanship.