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Checker Players, by Thomas Anshutz, ca. 1895

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Thomas Anshutz

American, 1851–1912

Checker Playersca. 1895

oil on canvas

16 1/8 x 20 1/8 in. (40.8 x 51.0 cm.)

Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum · 1967.136.4

Two boys sit engrossed in a game of checkers, each focusing intently on his next move. The dark, featureless interior draws our attention to the players' rigid poses. More about this work

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Format

Archival pigment inks on Hahnemühle Photo Rag, a 308 gsm cotton paper, with a white border.

Size

At this size the museum's file prints at 196 ppi: sharp at arm's length, a little softer than the smaller sizes up close.

Size
16 × 12 in · image 12¾ × 10¼
Paper
Hahnemühle Photo Rag, 308 gsm
Price
$42

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About this work

Two boys sit engrossed in a game of checkers, each focusing intently on his next move. The dark, featureless interior draws our attention to the players' rigid poses. The lack of movement, somber tones, and carefully balanced composition create a serious image around a familiar game, something that is usually viewed as carefree and fun.

Text from the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

How it was made

Oil paint
Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.

Thomas Anshutz

American, 1851–1912 · Born in Newport, Kentucky; died in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania.

Anshutz studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts under Thomas Eakins, assisting his photographic and anatomical studies, and succeeded him as a teacher there after Eakins was forced out in 1886. His painting The Ironworkers’ Noontime of 1880 is one of the first American pictures of industrial labour. A gifted teacher for some thirty years, he counted Robert Henri, John Sloan and Charles Sheeler among his students.

Written by Ochre Editions.

See all 3 works by Thomas Anshutz

Rights and the museum’s record

Public domain. The Smithsonian American Art Museum has dedicated this image to the public domain under CC0, so anyone may copy, adapt and use it, for any purpose, without asking. Our prints and files are reproductions made from the museum’s image; the museum doesn’t endorse them.

Object number
1967.136.4
Credit
Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
Type
Painting
Department
Painting and Sculpture
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