Edwin Lord Weeks

Bio

Edwin Lord Weeks (1849-1903) was one of America’s most successful Orientalist artists. His training in Paris under Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904) undoubtedly influenced his travels abroad, leading him to Egypt, Morocco, and, transformatively for the artist, throughout India, as well. (Indeed, Weeks eventually decided to transfer his studio from the East Coast of America to Paris, as it was, he said, “much more convenient to India.”)

The qualities for which Weeks would become renowned in America and Europe are evident in this grisaille oil study, in both the animated brushstrokes and, despite this immediacy of touch, in the remarkable intricacy and confidence of line. Weeks’s singular ability to render the flickering effects of sunlight and shadow – a portent, perhaps, of his appreciation and use of photographs in later compositions – is in evidence, as well. But what is special about this painting, and what sets his grisaille works so distinctly apart in his oeuvre, is the monochromatic palette he has chosen to use. The vibrant colors and sensory excesses of India, which Weeks took such delight in conveying, are here traded for shades of gray, black, and white. In addition to offering a technical challenge to this seasoned artist, then at the height of his career, this is likely also due to the projected use of this study. It was included as an illustration for the article, “Lahore and the Punjab” (October 1894), one of many such images Weeks was commissioned to produce for Harper’s Monthly during the course of his prolific career.