Eugene Speicher

Early in his career American painter Eugene Speicher – who at times just used his middle name Edward as pseudonym – was associated with modern American Realism, but he created his portraits, still lifes, and nudes in a traditional academic style. This led to his being on the conservative side of the debate between classicists and modernists that eventually broke out in Woodstock and New York City. Speicher painted many landscapes, harbors, farms, and flowers. His work is built solidly on the past, in which he took methods from, and added his own flavor and personality.

Speicher studied in Buffalo and at the Art Students League in New York City where he soon gained a reputation for portraiture. He shared a teacher and mentor in Robert Henri with Edward Hopper, and both artists revered Henri and cited him as a major influence on their approach to subject matter.

The Hunter, painted by Speicher in oil on canvas sized 56.5 x 45.7 cm, was on loan from the Pittsburgh Athletic Association in 1932. The original title Red Moore: Hunter revealed the identity of the sitter, a farmer and blacksmith from Glenford near Woodstock.