Richard Bill - John Smibert

Friends of American Art Collection

"Richard Bill" by John Smibert (1733) Oil on canvas.

Commentary

"Richard Bill" by John Smibert (1733) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. Its painted surface guides your eye through color, brushwork, and contrast rather than through narrativ e alone. Themes to notice include painting. This piece is held in the source collection's Arts of the Americas collection. John Smibert is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: John Smibert (American, born Scotland, 1688–1751). The work is cataloged within a Boston cultural context. How to look at this work: It is cataloged as painting, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Oil on canvas) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (127.6 × 102.2 cm (50 1/4 × 40 1/4 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include painting. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/49702

Sources: Art Institute of Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago / Public Records; Art Institute of Chicago Collection Data