Portrait Study of a Man

Portrait Study of a Man from 1901, now in the Art Institute of Chicago, demonstrates Zorn's practice of making study portraits — works that were preparatory in spirit if not always in practice, prioritising investigation of face, light, and character over the formal requirements of a commissioned portrait. The designation 'study' signals a degree of freedom in the handling, a willingness to leave passages unresolved that would be inappropriate in a finished commission. Zorn was highly regarded by American collecting institutions, and the Art Institute of Chicago acquired several of his works during his lifetime, making it one of the principal repositories of his portrait practice in North America.

A study portrait typically shows Zorn's working process most clearly — broad initial placement of tonal masses, followed by targeted passages of finer detail in the face, with surrounding areas left in various stages of resolution. The result has an immediacy that more laboured finished portraits sometimes lose.