Description: Original oil painting by American painter and influential academician Walter Shirlaw (1838-1909). The painting is an oil on canvas and depicts a handsome cow grazing in a hilly landscape. It is signed in the lower right by the artist and it measures 19 1/4 x 14 inches. The reverse shows that it has three old and small patches, not really evident on the front. It has been nailed to the stretchers with a mix of bent nails and tacks and has two strips of wood on the edges (most likely to make it fit into an oversize frame). The painting is dark with grime and very yellowed varnish, the cow would positively glow with a cleaning. Walter Shirlaw (1838-1909) was a American painter. He was born in Paisley, Scotland, and moved to the United States with his parents when still an infant. He worked as a bank-note engraver, and his work was first exhibited at the National Academy in 1861. He was elected an academician of the Chicago Academy of Design in 1868. Among his pupils there was Frederick Stuart Church. From 1870 to 1877 he studied in Munich, under Johann Leonhard Raab, Alexander von Wagner, Arthur von Ramberg, and Wilhelm Lindenschmidt. His first work of importance was the Toning of the Bell (1874), which was followed by Sheep-shearing in the Bavarian Highlands (1876). The latter, which is probably the best of his works, received honorable mention at the Paris exposition in 1878. A critical appraisal appeared at about this time by the American writer, S.G.W. Benjamin: There is no uncertainty or weakness in his method of handling color; his lines are clearly and carefully drawn, and he undoubtedly achieves excellent results when he attempts simple compositions. One of Mr. Shirlaw's best known compositions, representing a sheep-shearing in Bavaria, has attracted favorable attention at home and abroad. In compositions which include animals, dogs, and birds, he has been especially happy. His inclinations to delineate the characteristics of bird-life are akin to those of the artists of Japan. Other notable works from his easel are Good Morning (1878), in the Buffalo Academy; Indian Girl and Very Old (1880); Gossip (1884); and Jealousy (1886), owned by the Academy of Design, New York. His largest work is the frieze for the dining-room in the house of Darius O. Mills in New York City. Shirlaw has also earned an excellent reputation as an illustrator. He was one of the founders of the Society of American Artists and its first president. On his return from Europe he took charge of the Art Students League of New York, and for several years taught in the composition class. He became an associate of the National Academy in 1887, and an academician the following year. Shirlaw died in Madrid, Spain on December 26, 1909 and was buried in the British Cemetery there.
Price: 1175 USD
Location: Spring Hill, Florida
End Time: 2024-08-16T00:34:34.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Artist: Walter Shirlaw
Unit of Sale: Single-Piece Work
Size: Medium (up to 36in.)
Signed: Yes
Color: Multi-Color
Period: Historicism (1850-1900)
Material: Canvas
Subject: Cow, Livestock, Landscape
Type: Painting
Year of Production: 1890s
Original/Licensed Reproduction: Original
Style: Realism
Features: Signed, One of a Kind (OOAK)
Production Technique: Oil Painting
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Culture: American
Time Period Produced: 1850-1899