Art Seen: William Merritt Chase

    Sunday January 15th I went to the VMFA to walk around, and I noticed a piece in the “McGlothlin Collection of American Art” section that I had either never seen or never really appreciated. It’s a piece by William Merritt Chase, titled “The Wounded Poacher.” This particular piece caught my eye more now than before maybe because my current in-class focus has been of close up portraiture. The intense contrast of the dark negative space and the harsh shadows on the mans dace bring him to life in ways I wish I could capture. I also love the very obvious mark of the paint on his face, almost choppy, yet still incredibly realistic. I hope to incorporate this kind of drama and character into my future portraits as I use to incorporate mark and negative space more productively.