Oil on canvas
24 x 18 inches

Provenance
Estate of Ira Glackens (the artist’s son)
Sansom Foundation, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

The second of two children, William Glackens was born in Philadelphia to parents of Irish, English, and Pennsylvania Dutch descent. His first job was as an artist-reporter for the Philadelphia Record but he later moved to the Philadelphia Press, where fellow artists George Luks, Everett Shinn, and John Sloan were also employed. In 1894, Glackens began sharing a studio with artist Robert Henri, and the friendship changed the course of his life. Henri encouraged Glackens to pursue a full-time career as a professional artist. He did exactly that, and in two years again followed Henri’s lead by moving to New York City, where he would maintain a residence for the rest of his life.

Glackens never limited himself to any particular subject matter, successfully painting land- and seascapes, still lifes, city scenes, portraits and figural studies, including nudes, of which he painted many in the 1920s and 30s. Under Henri’s prior guidance, the early work of Glackens maintained "strong ties to Edouard Manet’s darkened palette and brushy style of realism." However, after 1910 Glackens’ palette began to brighten in response to his strong admiration of the work of French artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

Dr. William H. Gerdts asserted in his monograph that “there is great naturalness in Glackens’ portrayal of the female body, and it is perhaps in his many paintings of the nude that he came closest to Renoir.” While most viewers would agree that Glackens’ nudes bear the closest affinity to the works of Renoir, noted scholar Valerie Leeds suggests the specific characteristics which allow such a comparison: the “reflection of light on the dappled flesh,” his “light-filled palette” and his use of “slashing and swirling brushstrokes,” which “create a soft feathery appearance that is reminiscent of Renoir’s technique.”

In the painting illustrated here, Seated Nude with Orange Background , all of these elements are present. The model’s smooth, fair skin appears to glow with a luminescence created by Glackens’ use of unexpected hues, particularly in the shadowed areas. Her pearly skin allows her figure to stand out from the rich red-orange background. As Dr. Gerdts states, “Glackens’ liquid brushwork caresses the flesh, playing off the bright skin tones against deep greens and reds.”

Unlike his more formal paintings, Glackens’ nudes display a velvety richness of tone and technique not seen elsewhere, making them among his most distinguished works.
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1. Elizabeth Milroy, Painters of a New Century: The Eight & American Art (Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Milwaukee Art Museum, 1991), p. 22.
2. William H. Gerdts, William Glackens (New York: Abbeville Press and Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, 1996), p. 129.
3. Valerie Ann Leeds, William Glackens Reappraised (New York: Gerald Peters Gallery, 2003), p. 24.
4. Gerdts, p. 129.
5. Milroy, p. 22.
6. Gerdts, p. 129.
7. Leeds, p. 24.
8. Gerdts, p. 129.