Rack Picture for Dr. Nones - William A. Mitchell

Mr. and Mrs. Frederick G. Wacker Jr. Endowment Fund; through prior gift of Mrs. Albert J. Beveridge in memory of Abby Louise Spencer Eddy

American Art Modern Art Paintings

"Rack Picture for Dr. Nones" by William A. Mitchell (1879) Oil on canvas.

Commentary

"Rack Picture for Dr. Nones" by William A. Mitchell (1879) 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 n arrative alone. Themes to notice include Realism, painting. This piece is held in the source collection's Arts of the Americas collection. William A. Mitchell is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: Attributed to William A. The work is cataloged within a Philadelphia cultural context. It is associated with the Realism period. 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 (45.7 × 37.8 cm (17 1/4 × 14 1/8 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include Realism, painting. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/154496

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