Justice James V. Campbell (1858-1890)

This portrait of Michigan Supreme Court Justice James Valentine Campbell is an excellent demonstration of artist Lewis T. Ives’ classical approach to formal portraiture. Campbell sits upright in a composed, though somewhat stiff pose with his gaze fixed on an unidentified point ahead of him. He holds a book in his left hand, and his middle finger marks his page – as if he has only briefly paused his studies to sit for this portrait. His serious, contemplative composure suggests a dedication to his work.

While the somber, reflective tone of the painting lends an academic air to the piece, the stylistic choices made by Ives add to the classical nature of the artwork. Ives employs several thin layers of oil paint, building up the color gradually and leaving few, if any, brushstrokes behind. His careful, controlled painting technique reveals not only a focused study of Campbell’s features, but of earlier masters and their techniques as well. The hazy landscape in the window behind Ives brings a painterly aspect to the work, while the defined lines and absence of the artist’s hand in Campbell’s likeness seems more akin to the work of Renaissance masters such as Michelangelo. The use of brown tones throughout the painting also suggests that Ives was looking to history for inspiration; this practice was common amongst American portrait artists at the time, who hoped the colors would give their paintings an “Old World” feel.