Portrait of George Luks

In his portrayal of George Luks, Thomason captures his mentor’s robust personality. The total impression is one of spontaneity—the haphazard clutter in the studio, Luks’ absorption in painting, and Thomason’s own handling of paint. It was probably done in the room Luks used for teaching after he left the Art Students League, having been dismissed for drunkenness. Thomason served as Luks’ class monitor, and the two became close friends.

The painting was well received when it was exhibited in New York, and one reviewer commented: “It is a virile and dynamic picture of a virile and dynamic painter, unprettied, natural and not in the least solemn, in no way profound, but as far as it goes portrait painting of the first and finest order.”