Portrait of a Man

Strang was born in Dumbarton where he was briefly apprenticed to a shipbuilder. In 1875 be left for London to study under Alphonse Legros at the Slade School where the importance of drawing from life was impressed upon him and he won the Silver Medal for Life Drawing in 1879. In 1880 he won the medal for Etching was appointed the Slade’s Assistant Master in the Etching class, a post he held until about 1882. In 1881 he became one of the founder members of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers. During the first decade of his career he largely concentrated on etching and portrait drawing. He later worked more in oils, painting portraits and figure subjects which he exhibited at the Royal Academy, New English Art Club and elsewhere. A brilliant draughtsman, Strang is perhaps most admired for his portrait drawings and etchings and examples of his work are the collections of the British Museum, Tate Gallery and many other public galleries.