Subject: gentleman in white tie
Culture: international formal
Setting: high formal
Manchester Art Gallery > Dandy Style: 250 Years of British Men's Fashion *
"Walter Greaves 1917 William Nicholson (1846-1930) Oil on canvas
In this subdued portrait, artist Greaves wears a tailored black overcoat, black top hat and shoes, paried with grey trousers, spats and gloves. This sober, restrained look seems balanced, like the lines, tones and forms in the paining as a whole.
"Greaves was a studio assistant to American artist James Abbott McNeill Whistler in the 1860s and 70s and copied his teacher's dandified style of dress. Nicholson's decorative realism was also inspired by Whistler, who often exploited the aesthetic possibilities of black clothes in his paintings. The elegant lines and rich colour of the black coat created visual drama in life and on canvas for these artists."
* Manchester Art Gallery > Dandy Style: 250 Years of British Men's Fashion
"Ernest Thesiger 1918 William Bruce Ellis Ranken (1881-1941) Oil on canvas Actor Ernest Thesiger (1879-1961) wears formal evening wear, which at this date had developed into a type of uniform, governed by strict dress codes that left little scope for individuality. Here, however, artis and sitter have exploited the visual drama of black and white to present a more playful image of artistic identity.
"Thesiger was always vocal about how he wanted to be painted and his elegant and eccentric character are suggested by the voluminous black cape, flamboyantly draped scarf and studied pose. Thesiger promoted men's dress reform, preferring casual styles for everyday but favouring tailored evening wear for formal occasions, usually wearing a string of pearls under his shirt. Although married in 1917, he made little secret of his bisexuality."
