Gordon Stevenson

Gordon Stevenson was best known for his society portraits in oil but also painted landscapes in watercolor and created etchings. He was Scottish by direct descent, but American by birth and education. In his hometown Chicago he studied at the School of the Art Institute and was initially commissioned for murals. Stevenson traveled through the British Isles and on the Continent, and trained in Spain under the master Joaquin Sorolla (1863-1923), whose influence can be noted in Stevenson’s rich use of color, beauty of design, and the quality of romance.

As a student of John Singer Sargent, Stevenson also benefited from critiques of Sargent that warned him against some of the common pitfalls in portraiture, especially the tendency of many to make the head too large or the figure too dominant for its surroundings. Stevenson later became a prolific magazine illustrator for prominent publications, notably the New York Times Book Review. He also made a series of portraits for the covers of Time magazine (1923-24).

In 1932, Stevenson entered three graphics, On the Willowemoc, Hung Up, and Sunset. The Willowemoc is a creek in New York State that is popular for trout fishing. The other two prints were acquired by the Brooklyn Museum immediately after the 1932 art show. The Angler, entered in 1936, could be the portrait of his uncle Edward R. Hewitt (1866-1957), an American inventor and naturalist. However, it is confirmed that he produced various etchings showing anglers in this period.