Basic Information

Historical Context

One of Zorn's American society portraits, painted during his highly successful period in the United States. Content Description A middle-aged gentleman seated in an elegant light-colored wooden chair. He has graying hair, neat mustache and goatee. Black three-piece suit, white shirt, dark tie. A small red boutonniere on his lapel. Right hand on a portfolio beside him. Background shows a studio with dark green cabinet marked "ZORN," blue draped object, sculptural elements. A brilliant red floor dominates the lower portion. Artistic Analysis The painting demonstrates Zorn's structural logic: pyramidal composition, asymmetric balance, and a striking red floor as color anchor. The "Zorn Palette" achieves exemplary level here -- the vast areas of black suit and red floor are counterbalanced by precise skin-tone rendering. This is Zorn at the height of his powers as a portraitist.