Thomas Wilmer Dewing : "Lady with a Mask" (1911) — Giclee Fine Art Print

Thomas Wilmer Dewing was a painter’s painter; a maestro of color and tonal harmony like his contemporary, James McNeill Whistler. His signature subject was the seated female figure, often in association with books, musical instruments or art objects. These works were roundly praised for their refinement and sophistication. Sadakichi Hartmann wrote that they “help to improve our taste and manners, render our costumes and surroundings more picturesque, and our life softer and more agreeable, in one word more beautiful.” Charles Lang Freer thought Dewing’s art among “the most refined in spirit, poetical in design and deepest in artistic truth of this century.” Art historians have more recently acknowledged Dewing as a protomodern artist.