Irving Ramsey Wiles. Irving Ramsey Wiles was an American artist, born in Utica, New York.
In the early 20th century, Wiles was a popular exponent of American grand manner portraiture as redefined by the work of John Singer Sargent, Giovanni Boldini, and James Whistler in late 19th century Europe. During his peak, he was one of the leading portraitists in America, working alongside his compatriots John White Alexander and Cecilia Beaux to paint the American leisure class.
Despite the decline of interest in his work, Wiles' paintings today continue to reside and remain on display in institutions such as the de Young Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery, Washington D.C., and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Irving Ramsey Wiles was born in Utica, New York on April 8, 1861.
He was educated at the Sedgwick Institute in Great Barrington, and learned the basics of painting from his father, Lemuel M. Wiles, who focused primarily on landscapes. From 1879 to 1881 he studied in the Art Students League of New York under James Carroll Beckwith and William Merritt Chase, and later in Paris under Carolus-Duran.
In his early years, he worked as an illustrator for American magazines, and later he devoted himself with great success to portraiture. He was a member of the Society of American Artists, which prefaced his 1897 election into the National Academy of Design as an associate. Wiles