Untitled (Operatic Heroine in Medieval Dress)
ClassificationsPaintings-oils
Artist
William Joseph McCloskey
(American, 1859 - 1941)
Date1922
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions26 1/4 × 21 1/2 in. (66.7 × 54.6 cm)
Framed: 32 × 27 × 2 1/4 in. (81.3 × 68.6 × 5.7 cm)
Framed: 32 × 27 × 2 1/4 in. (81.3 × 68.6 × 5.7 cm)
Credit LineGift of Mrs. Eleanor McCloskey Russell
Object number74.22.8
DescriptionWilliam McCloskey was often applauded for his ability to capture the essence of his sitter and this painting is no exception. As a classically trained painter in Los Angeles’ flourishing world of film and theater, he was regularly commissioned to paint portraits for actors such as R.D. MacLean. It has been suggested that this is a painting of an actress playing the role of Juliet but there is no real evidence to back up this claim. What we do know from information on the reverse of the painting is that the work was originally exhibited at the Egan School in Los Angeles. The Egan School primarily taught drama, and Shakespearean acting would have been a large component of that. The lack of documentation precludes confirmation, but it is likely that the sitter was one of the Egan School’s fledgling actresses dressed as a Shakespearean character.On View
Not on viewCollections
c. 1888
