Student Artwork Guide
Copyright This work is in the public domain. Joseph Henry Sharp died in 1953; copyright lasts 70 years after the artist’s death, so it ended in 2023.
In context
Strong Left Hand — Joseph Henry Sharp
The original measures 35 × 24 cm (height × width), drawn here beside an adult of average height.
Row above: the years. Row below: how old the artist was at the start and at the end of each span — 0 at birth, 94 at death.
Painted when the artist was 41. The artist lived to 94. 8 of the 43 dated works by this artist in our catalogue came earlier.
Shaded: the lifetime of Joseph Henry Sharp (1859–1953) ▲ this work, 1900 every dated painting, decade by decade
First works: up to 1900 Main working years: 1900–1905 Late works: from 1905
Those three bands split the works this catalogue has a date for into a first quarter, a middle half and a last quarter. They are not the artist’s complete output: a thin stretch may be a gap in the record rather than a quiet spell. The same years with the artist’s life laid along them
Pick one work above: name two things it shares with this one, and one thing that's different.
More works to set beside this one: originaluniqueart.com/en/art/similar/joseph-henry-sharp-strong-left-hand-AQUPDE-en/
Measured from the image
Main colour
Espresso #34241f
Catalogued palette
These colours inside the artist’s whole palette Find other paintings by colour
The ten leading countries
Find the three darkest countries on the map. Is the museum that keeps this painting in any of them? Write down one reason people far away might look at it.
Together these works take 78.3% of all the attention this artist's paintings received over the last twelve months. The catalogue holds 94 works by this artist, of which 28 were looked at at least once. This painting ranks 4 of them, with 5.4% of that attention. The same counts, month by month
Bars measure attention, not quality. Pick the work at the top and this one: name one thing that might make a painting famous beyond how well it is painted.
Artist and museum
Born in Bridgeport, United States of America
Born: September 27, 1859, Bridgeport, Ohio
Died: August 29, 1953
Parents: Irish immigrant parents; father was a merchant.
Early Fascination: Developed a strong interest in American Indians from a young age.
Hearing Loss: Nearly drowned as a boy, resulting in permanent hearing loss which significantly impacted his education and communication. He learned to read lips and carried a writing pad.
Early Work: Worked in a nail factory at the age of 12 to support his family after his father's death.
McMicken School of Design, Cincinnati: Briefly attended before financial constraints forced him to leave school.
European Studies (1881-1886): Traveled to Europe where he studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium.
Return to Cincinnati & Mentorship: Returned to Cincinnati and worked alongside Henry Farny, though Farny discouraged painting Native Americans.
Royal Academy of Munich: Studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Munich) and later with Frank Duveneck in Italy.
Académie Julian, Paris: Furthered his studies at the Académie Julian in Paris, influenced by Barbizon painters and Impressionists.
Realism & Portraiture: Known for realistic portrayals of American Indians, focusing on their cultural life and individual characteristics.
Influences: Influenced by the Barbizon school and Impressionism, evident in his use of light and shadow and broad brushstrokes.
Key Subjects: Primarily painted portraits of Native American warriors, chiefs, and everyday people, as well as Western landscapes.
Commissioned Work: Received a significant commission from President Theodore Roosevelt to paint 200 portraits of Native American warriors who survived the Battle of Little Bighorn.
Absarokee Hut: Built a cabin (Absarokee Hut) on Crow Agency land in Montana, allowing him extended time to study and depict Native American life.
Taos Society of Artists Founding Member: A founding member of the Taos Society of Artists, considered its "spiritual father."
Smithsonian Institution Acquisition: The Smithsonian Institution purchased eleven of his portraits in 1901.
Phoebe Hearst Patronage: Received significant support from Phoebe Hearst, who acquired over 150 of his works.
Thomas Gilcrease Collection: A large portion of his work and personal collection were purchased by Thomas Gilcrease, now housed at the Gilcrease Institute.
Recognition for Ethnographic Value: Recognized by curator W.H. Holmes for the accuracy with which he portrayed Native American physiognomy and costumes.
Documenting Native American Culture: Sharp's work provides valuable documentation of Native American life during a period of significant cultural change and displacement.
Early Western Artist in Taos: One of the earliest European-American artists to establish a presence in Taos, New Mexico, contributing to its artistic development.
Influence on Southwestern Art: His focus on Native American subjects helped shape the direction of Southwestern art and influenced subsequent generations of artists.
Preservation of Portraiture: Created a significant body of portraiture that captures the likenesses and dignity of individuals from various Native American tribes, preserving their memory for posterity.
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Look closely
Strong Left Hand — Joseph Henry Sharp
Answer in your own words. There are no wrong answers here — only answers you can explain.
Write a short paragraph about this artwork. Use the facts from the earlier parts of this guide, and your answers above.
Joseph Henry Sharp made "Strong Left Hand" in 1900.
The color of "Strong Left Hand" is muted in saturation and monochromatic in intensity.
Other names recorded for Joseph Henry Sharp, creator of "Strong Left Hand", include Henry Sharp.
"Strong Left Hand" by Joseph Henry Sharp has a soft shadow luminance. Luminance describes how much light the colors appear to reflect.
The AR Preview page of "Strong Left Hand" by Joseph Henry Sharp uses augmented reality to show the artwork in your own space, on a compatible device.
To get a print of "Strong Left Hand" by Joseph Henry Sharp, simply order it on this page: a fine art print on cotton canvas or archival canvas paper.
"Strong Left Hand" can be examined layer by layer on the artwork's X-Ray page, a viewer inspired by a conservator's light bench with eleven optical readings of the image.
The artist behind "Strong Left Hand" is Joseph Henry Sharp. The work is catalogued under Joseph Henry Sharp's name.