Artist William Matthew Prior (1806 - 1873)

Mr. G. Brightman

Date1844

DimensionsSight: 13 5/16 × 9 1/2 in. (33.8 × 24.1 cm)

Object numberN0292.1959

Credit LineCollection of the Fenimore Art Museum. Gift of Anne Brightman

Photograph by Richard Walker

Label TextPrior defined the facial features of these two subjects with the loose, nervous brushwork that characterizes his popular, least expensive painting style (see N0292.59). The facial modeling is minimal; thick lines of brown paint outline the sitters' eyes, eyelids, noses and mouths. Ears, however, are sketchy and ill-defined. The creases in Mr. Brightman's forehead are actually grooves which Prior made in the wet design layer, allowing the lighter color of the underpaint to show. A light shade of salmon pink lends color to the subjects' cheeks and lips. Mrs. Brightman's dress is outlined with bold, dark lines, while her husband's black suit is defined by lightly applied lines of white pigment.
Exhibition History“Artist and Visionary: William Matthew Prior Revealed,” American Folk Art Museum, New York, New York, January 24, 2013 – May 27, 2013; Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, NY, May 26, 2012 – December 31, 2012.
BibliographySamuel Pennington, April Fool: Folk Art Fakes and Forgeries (exh. cat. New York: The Museum of American Folk Art, 1988), pp. 58-59.

Paul S. D’Ambrosio and Charlotte M. Emans, Folk Art’s Many Faces: Portraits in the New York State Historical Association (Cooperstown, NY: Fenimore Art Museum, 1987), pp.133-14.

David Hewett, “William Miller and William Matthew Prior: The Prophet and the Folk Artist,” in Maine Antique Digest (April, 1987), pp.1B-4B.

On View

Not on view