Richard Alan Schmid - 1969 Portrait of a Brunette Model - Oil Painting

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Richard Alan Schmid - 1969 Portrait of a Brunette Model - Oil painting
American Realist - Oil painting on Canvas … Read more Richard Alan Schmid - 1969 Portrait of a Brunette Model - Oil painting
American Realist - Oil painting on Canvas - signed and dated 1969
Canvas size 16x12" - Frame size 26x22x2"

Description
Painted in July 1969, Susan Wise is an intimate early portrait by celebrated American realist Richard Schmid, executed during a formative period in which the artist was refining the direct, alla prima approach that would become central to his mature work.The sitter, identified by Schmid on the reverse as Susan Wise, is portrayed bust-length against a dark, atmospheric background. Her long, center-parted brunette hair loosely frames the face as she gazes slightly away from the viewer, creating an expression that is quiet, introspective, and psychologically engaging.Schmid concentrates the highest degree of resolution around the sitter's face. Warm flesh tones of peach, rose, and muted ochre are modulated by cooler half-tones and restrained highlights, while the surrounding hair and background are treated more broadly. The dark field behind the sitter shifts subtly between charcoal, deep blue-gray, and warm umber, allowing the illuminated face to emerge naturally from the surrounding atmosphere.Particularly characteristic of Schmid's direct painting method is the transition between carefully observed facial modeling and the increasingly free handling of the lower portion of the composition. Across the sitter's shoulders and garment, descriptive form gives way to broad, economical strokes and passages of exposed or thinly painted ground. The contrast between controlled observation and seemingly spontaneous brushwork gives the portrait both immediacy and painterly vitality.

Verso Notations & Material Documentation:
The back of the canvas serves as a pristine, ironclad chronological archive of the artwork’s physical origins and gallery placement:
Artist’s Hand Inscriptions: Rendered in black ink directly on the raw canvas backing:
#580 - Susan Wise
July 1969 - Richard Schmid
Copyright Control: Centralized ink stamp reading: “© Richard Schmid 1969, All Rights Reserved.”
Canvas Stamp: Left structural stretcher bar features a clean, red manufacturer brand mark reading "Grumbacher 16", confirming the professional-grade canvas stock favored by Schmid during this period.
Gallery Documentation: Affixed to the lower wood crossbar is an original, typed cream paper label from the historic Davis Gallery (New York) documenting its early provenance:
Framed: February 1970
Expressly For: Mrs. Richard Dickson


Artist Biography
Born in Chicago, Illinois, on October 5, 1934, Schmid was immersed in the creative world at a young age. His maternal grandfather, Julian Oates, was an architectural sculptor who fostered the boy's appreciation for three-dimensional form. At just 12 years old, Schmid began formal lessons in landscape painting under the Chicago impressionist Gianni Cilfone, from whom he developed an early passion for plein air observation.At age 18, Schmid entered the prestigious American Academy of Art in Chicago. There, he underwent an intensive, transformative education under William H. Mosby. Mosby, a graduate of the Royal Academy in Belgium, was an expert on European realism. He enforced a rigid focus on drawing, perspective, color theory, and an absolute reliance on painting directly from life. Under Mosby’s guidance, Schmid studied the techniques of masters like John Singer Sargent, Joaquín Sorolla, Anders Zorn, and Rembrandt—influences that remained pillars of his style for the rest of his career. Style, Philosophy, and TechniqueSchmid became the preeminent master of the alla prima (wet-on-wet) direct method. This technique required him to load a brush with color and confidently shape a passage in a single application while the underlying paint was still wet, giving his works an immediate, energetic vitality. His paintings balance tight, classical modeling with modern, explosive, abstract brushstrokes—frequently dissolving backgrounds or garments into loose passages of color to pull the viewer's eye into the exquisite detail of a portrait or landscape.
Career Milestones & Institutional Success
Over his prolific career, Schmid was featured in more than 50 solo exhibitions across the globe. His paintings have been preserved in the permanent collections of over 20 major institutions, including The Smithsonian Institution, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Butler Institute of American Art, and the Thomas Gilcrease Museum.
The Sargent Medal: In 2000, Richard Ormond (the grandnephew of John Singer Sargent) presented Schmid with the prestigious John Singer Sargent Medal for Lifetime Achievement at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Royal Recognition: In 2011, Schmid completed a monumental painting of Abbotsford House, the historic estate of Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. In 2012, this painting was personally received by Queen Elizabeth II during the grand reopening ceremonies of the estate.
Documentary Work: In 2001, he combined journalism and art in the documentary An American Portrait: The Senator and the Artist, painting Vermont Senator James Jeffords live while conducting an on-camera interview.
Teaching Legacy and Educational Publications
Schmid's impact on modern representational art expanded significantly through his role as an author and educator. He established workshops and trained an entire generation of contemporary realist painters. In 1998, he published his landmark instructional text, Alla Prima: Everything I Know About Painting. Widely considered the "bible" of representational art education, it was followed by an expanded edition, Alla Prima II, in 2013. He also authored Richard Schmid: The Landscapes in 2009. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts from the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts in 2003.
Later Years & Death
In his later years, Schmid moved to New England, living and painting from a bucolic home in New Hampshire alongside his wife, the accomplished realist painter Nancy Guzik. Schmid passed away peacefully on April 18, 2021, at the age of 86. His enduring legacy continues to serve as a foundational guide for the ongoing revival of classical realism in American art.
Richard Alan Schmid was a titan of late 20th and early 21st-century American realism. Revered by his peers as one of the finest technicians and draftsmen of his generation, Schmid spent over six decades championing the "Grand Manner"—a classical concept blending supreme technical virtuosity with an uncompromised, joyful depiction of visual truth and beauty. He is globally celebrated for revitalizing traditional representational art during an era largely dominated by post-war abstraction. See less