Artist
Frank Duveneck
Frank Duveneck prints combine bold, dark portraits with the light of Venice. Duveneck was an American figure and portrait painter who trained in Munich and led a generation of young American artists, known as the "Duveneck Boys". This collection gathers art prints of his vivid...Read more
Frank Duveneck prints combine bold, dark portraits with the light of Venice. Duveneck was an American figure and portrait painter who trained in Munich and led a generation of young American artists, known as the "Duveneck Boys". This collection gathers art prints of his vivid character heads and portraits, including The Whistling Boy and Lady with Fan, along with his views of Venice, Florence and the Bavarian countryside.
About Frank Duveneck
Frank Duveneck was born Frank Decker in Covington, Kentucky, on 9 October 1848, the son of a German immigrant who died when Frank was a year old. He took the name of his stepfather, Joseph Duveneck. By 15 he was studying with a local painter and working as an apprentice to German church decorators, and he grew up within the German community of nearby Cincinnati.
In 1869 he went to Munich to study at the Royal Academy under Wilhelm von Diez and Wilhelm Leibl, learning a dark, direct and realistic way of painting. His work caused a stir at the Boston Art Club in 1875, and the novelist Henry James called him "the unsuspected genius". In 1878 he opened a school in Munich and in the Bavarian village of Polling, and his students followed him to Italy.
In 1886 he married his student Elizabeth Boott, and they had a son. After her death in 1888 he returned to America, made a monument to her for her grave in Florence, and taught for many years at the Art Academy of Cincinnati. He was elected to the National Academy of Design in 1906 and died in Cincinnati on 3 January 1919.
Style and Subjects
Duveneck's early work is painted with a dark palette and quick, slashing brushwork that shows his debt to the Munich school and to Frans Hals. His character heads of boys, old men and working people are direct and full of life, with faces glowing out of shadowy backgrounds.
Later, in Italy, his color grew lighter. He painted the canals, bridges and lagoons of Venice and the streets of Florence, as well as portraits of friends, students and fishermen of Chioggia.
Famous Works
- The Whistling Boy (1872), Cincinnati Art Museum. A cheeky street boy, one of his most famous Munich pictures.
- Lady with Fan (1873), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. An elegant portrait in rich, dark tones.
- Walter Shirlaw (1873), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington. A portrait of a fellow American painter in Munich.
- The Cobbler's Apprentice (1877), Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati. A young worker caught in a moment of rest.
- Venetian Girl (1880), Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. A portrait from his years in Italy.
- Water Carriers, Venice (1884), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington. Women carrying water in a sunny Venetian square.
- Chioggia Fisherman (1894), Birmingham Museum of Art. A weathered fisherman from the lagoon town of Chioggia.
Decorating with Duveneck Prints
Duveneck's dark portraits and character heads suit a study, library or dining room with warm wood and leather. Their deep browns and glowing faces look striking in classic gilt or black frames.
His Venice views and lagoon scenes bring lighter color to a living room, bedroom or hallway, and a pair of canal views makes an elegant choice for a traditional or coastal interior.
FAQ
What art movement was Frank Duveneck part of?
Duveneck trained in the Munich school of realism and was one of the young American painters who, in the 1870s, broke from the Hudson River School tradition with freer, more direct brushwork.
What is Frank Duveneck's most famous painting?
The Whistling Boy (1872) and Lady with Fan (1873) are among his most famous works. Both show the dark palette and bold brushwork he learned in Munich.
Where can I see Duveneck's original paintings?
The Cincinnati Art Museum has a large collection, and his work is also in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
How can you recognize a Frank Duveneck painting?
Look for lively faces lit against dark backgrounds, quick and confident brushstrokes, and a rich brown palette. His later Venetian scenes are lighter and sunnier.
Who were the "Duveneck Boys"?
They were the students who gathered around Duveneck at his schools in Munich, Polling and later Italy, including John Twachtman, Otto Henry Bacher, Julius Rolshoven and John White Alexander.
Related Artists
- Wilhelm Leibl — one of his teachers in Munich
- William Merritt Chase — fellow American painter in the Munich group of the 1870s
- John Henry Twachtman — one of the "Duveneck Boys"
- Otto Henry Bacher — another Duveneck student who followed him to Venice
- John White Alexander — American painter who studied with Duveneck
