Gwen Fries 3/31/13 John Sloan vs.

Baltimore Gentleman Though they were created approximately a century apart and have very different subjects, the portraits Self Portrait by John Sloan and The Baltimore Gentleman by Rembrandt Peale have many similarities. John Sloan's portrait depicts a man with a mess of disheveled, thick, wavy black hair with some curls resting on his forehead. He has a crooked nose and is sitting in front of an enigmatic background composed of cool colors wearing an open tan jacket, a slightly unbuttoned white dress shirt and a loosened light red tie drawn towards his right. His eyes are intensely fixed out at the viewer, no matter where he or she stands, but his lips are soft and complacent. He has fierce hazel eyes, tight facial muscles and a furrowed brow. Overall, he looks distressed and out of control. Conversely, the gentleman depicted in the other portrait looks to be practically made out of marble. He has not one curly hair out of place. His cravat is nicely and neatly made, and his clean clothes are not wrinkled. They fit perfectly, not too loose nor too tight. He has green gloves on his hands. His clothes match perfectly, his hair is set perfectly, he has an immaculate complexion, and he appears to be completely serene. The two men depicted are both living in America. John Sloan was a New Yorker, and the "Baltimore Gentleman," obviously, lived in Maryland. It would not be too much of a stretch to assume that these subjects come from different socioeconomic classes. The Baltimore gentleman's skin is flawless, and though an artistic style, a fair and preserved complexion was often a sign of a gentleman. During the time he lived, the early 19th century, a fair complexion signified the class of people who could afford to work inside and ride inside of carriages. Sloan, on the other hand, has a furrowed brow and crow's feet around his eyes. The apples of his cheeks

are much more red than the rest of his face. This red is not an angelic blushing, it is the wearand-tear of exposure to sunlight. Sloan uses varying shades of red, tan, orange, pink, purple, and even green to create his facial skin tones. Both men have a touch of five o'clock shadow, though Sloan's is much easier to observe than the gentleman's. The Baltimore Gentleman has copper colored, tight curls upon his head. Most of the curls are perfectly shaped with one or two exceptions around his forehead and behind his left ear. Peale used lighter-colored paints to convey the effect and contrast of light versus shadows, but otherwise kept the color the same. Sloan's messy, disheveled hair has tones of blue, green, gray and black. It was interesting to me how Sloan balanced all the warm colors of his skin tone and tie with the reoccurring blues and greens. It added a coolness and pessimistic feel to the work reflected in his facial expression. Sloan laid the paint on thickest over his front left curls, most likely to add dimension. This prominence is best seen if one is crouched down and looking up at the painting and is possibly the finest example in this work of the painterly style. Peale's work is incredulously smooth besides the cracking effect that has occurred most likely due to time. The only identifiable brushstroke is on the glove between the pointer and middle finger of the left hand. Compositionally, these paintings are somewhat similar. The subjects both appear to be sitting due to the cropping in each work. John Sloan crops himself to what would normally be seen in a bust. Peale crops his work to show from roughly the waist up. Additionally, Peale takes the time to paint a red chair with what appears to be a bronze frame. The gentleman's relaxed left hand is casting a shadow against the back of the chair. His body is angled towards the viewer, his right shoulder being much less visible than his left. John Sloan is most likely seated in his portrait as he is not completely centered. Though uncentered, he is undoubtedly the focal point of

the piece because he is the only defined portion of the work. The background is enigmatic leaving just John Sloan front and center. He is angled slightly with his left shoulder forward and his tie loosened and resting to the right. His name and the year, 1924, are painted in the shade alloy orange on the top left corner which adds balance to the opposite corners. The source of lighting in these two paintings could not be more different. In Rembrandt Peale's work, the light is coming from in front of the subject and to his right. In John Sloan's the light is coming from behind him and to his left. Sloan's light source is evident because there is a shadow cast over his face and right shoulder because of his facial features and angled attitude. If one looks closely, his left ear gets much lighter at the middle of the outer cartilage which lends an almost transparent feel to it. His hair is also painted with lighter tones around that area; the greens and blues are very prominent. The back left of his collar is also reflecting a yellow hue. I imagine him to be sitting in his studio with a window behind him and to his left, and the window has thick, velvet curtains that are only allowing a bit of light in. Peale too uses shadows to convey his light source. As previously mentioned, the gentleman's left hand is casting a shadow on the back of the chair, and the gentleman himself is casting a shadow on the wall behind him. The shadow is behind him and to his left, proving that his light source comes from above and to the right of the subject. The gentleman's broad forehead and nose are illuminated. This is the Tzone of the face. The T-zone normally contains the most natural oil which means it is the place the most likely to reflect light. The red backing of the chair is more vibrant that the side of the chair due to the lighting, and the brass knob on the brass or bronze part of the chair has a few specks of light which would be reflected due to the shapes of that part of the chair. The cravat has the same different tones of the color for the level of brightness effect. The subject's chin casts

a shadow over his neck. At the same time, the coat collar casts a shadow on the white undershirt. Even the lapel on the left-side of his body casts a shadow on his left breast. The materials with which these two works are made differ as well. The Sloan was created with oil on canvas, while the Peale is created with oil on canvas then mounted on aluminum and balsa panel. The final difference is in the subjects themselves. Sloan's work is a self-portrait. Peale's is a portrait of another man. According to the placard at the Palmer Museum, Sloan was born in 1871 and completed the work in 1924. This would make John Sloan 53 years old at the time he captured his likeness. The gentleman from Baltimore looks to be no more than in his twenties or early thirties. They appear to be from different socioeconomic classes. Yet, they are both urbandwellers and American men, if living in very different Americas.