(1870-1934)
Although born in Marietta, Georgia, Drysdale is almost considered to be the national painter of Louisiana. He moved with his family to New Orleans at a young age and later earned his livelihood as a portrait painter. His early work in true oil shows influence from the Barbizon School of landscape painting and tonalism favored by American painter George Inness. Economy forced Drysdale to find alternatives to expensive oil paint and canvas. From 1910, he started painting on sized cardboard and compressed paperboard and began to thin his oils with kerosene. This famous ”oil wash” technique complemented his atmospheric dreamy landscapes.
