Artwork Title: Portrait of Otto Wigand

Portrait of Otto Wigand, 1895

Adeline Albright Wigand

Adeline's handsome portrait of her husband is a tribute to her affection for him. Otto appears as a thinking, gentle person with a poetic air. Notably, Adeline does not portray Otto in the guise of a fellow artist -- there are no palettes or easels to signal his successful, considerable output in an array of artistic media. Instead this is a domestic but atmospheric work. The art on the wall behind Otto remains indistinct, and it is unclear if it is one of Otto's or Adeline's own creations. Although she has reversed the composition, Adeline's use of a restricted color palette was likely inspired by Whistler's Portrait of Thomas Carlyle. However, the atmosphere conveyed is different from the Whistler inspiration. Adeline has softened Otto's gaze, and something of Otto's creative nature appears in his look, as if he is a bit of a dreamer, gazing off into the distance, whereas Carlyle appears alert and bolt upright with anticipation. [http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/9aa/9aa665.htm]
Uploaded on Feb 27, 2018 by Suzan Hamer

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