George Washington:Man/Myth?

and Gilbert Stuart,a portrait artist’s role in American Art History

What do we know about George from his portraits? •How do portrait artists and sculptors contribute to art and history?

•Do we really know our first President? What telling clues are in

portraits and sculptures of him? Which artist achieved the best likeness

of him?

•Was he a major war hero, a brilliant tactician? A spy?

•Was he truly the reluctant, modest leader?

•Why does he look so serious and stoic? Did he have

false teeth? What were his teeth made of?

•Did he wear a wig, and why was his hair white in his portraits?Washington Crossing the Delaware is an 1851 oil-on-canvas painting by German American artist Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze.

Way back then...how to have manly hair!

GW’s false teeth...were not

wooden!

Where did that

myth come from?

Gilbert Stuart’s life and careerStuart was born in Rhode Island and studied painting and portraiture as a young apprentice in England and Ireland during the Revolutionary War. He decided to return to America after the war ended, because he was deep in debt in both countries and was searching for a client who would make him rich and famous. After spending a year and a half in New York living and painting, he traveled to Philadelphia to paint America’s first president, George Washington. He was commissioned by Martha Washington, and the rest is history. His last place of residence was Boston, MA.

Stuart’s pallette

Vaughan Williams

commission

$100

Stuart’s portraits of Washington

1795

1796Athenaeum

portraits

(unfinished)

1796Lansdowne $1000William Bingham paid for the portrait to be

given to the Marquis of Lansdowne in England

75 copies made

original is life size

Washington is

addressing Congress

...symbols galore

Can you find

Seal of the US

A symbol of hope for the future

Optimism, success after the war, new country.

Pose/Moral leadership

Eagles, with arrows

Sword

On the Money

The quarter image is taken from a bust of George Washington done in his lifetime (1786) by artist Jean-Antoine Houdon. Houdon created a life-mask before making several busts and sculptures. Houdon was invited to do the work by Ben Franklin.

Stuart’s portrait from Athenaeum on current Dollar bill

Charles Wilson PealeGen. George Washington, war hero

1780

How does this one differ from

Stuart’s portraits?

Art activity, painting a portrait!•Paint a portrait of George Washington using Stuart’s portraits as a guide. Add your own look, after thinking through your own impressions of Washington.*

•Watercolor paints work differently than oil, as Stuart used. Make sure you go light to dark, starting with the light colors. Sketch your portrait first, then lay down the paint.

•Although this isn’t how Stuart actually painted the paintings (he drew with paint and laid colors down right next to each other, not blending), this is a great way to learn to see details in portraits, and practice.

•Just do your best with this one, portraits are really difficult! Make your best rendition of George Washington’s presidential look. *Keep to the essence of Washington’s character and include symbols if you like.

••Materials: watercolor paper, pencil, watercolor paints, 2 brushes, water, paper towel.

Sample, step-by-step Sketch with pencil, paint and do your best! (challenging!)

George Washington – by Charles Willson Peale (Washington at age 40)

How would you portray George Washington?

National Geographic’s The Real George Washington

Gilbert Stuart and the Washington portraitsVideo discussion ofAthenaeum showat Mt. Vernon

Ellen Miles - Lansdowne portrait

Notes.... 3 portraits from life. Vaughan Samuel portrait, the Athenaeum (Boston) and the Lansdowne Portrait. Marquis of Lansdowne. Sent as a gift by William Bingham

Washington was Stuart’s most important sitter. Washington was in his 2nd term as President. He wanted to paint him to gain fame and fortune, to pay his debts. 1793, 1795. People were curious to see Washington’s image.

Stuart loved to chat up his clients, however Washington was stoic when he wasn’t talking about topics that interested him. George Washington’s wife, Martha, commissioned Stuart first, she pressed to have their portraits painted.

Portrait shows the character of the individual….much pressure to acquire a likeness.

Can you describe Washington’s character and temperament from each portrait or sculpture you’ve seen?

Gallery!Pilot class, PM

Gallery - first class

Gilbert Stuart painted the following notables:Abigail Adams - Second First Lady of the United States, wife of John AdamsJohn Adams - Second President of the United StatesJohn Quincy Adams - Sixth President of the United StatesJohn Jacob Astor - First American multi-millionaire, fur trader, art patronJohn Bannister - Owner of Bannister's Wharf in Newport, Rhode IslandCommodore John Barry - Father of the American NavyAnn Willing Bingham - Philadelphia socialiteHorace Binney - Prominent Philadelphia lawyerHugh Henry Brackenridge - early American writer, Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice, and founder of the University of Pittsburgh[40]

Jean Baptiste Casmiere Breschard - Performer and theatrical impresarioRosalie Stier Calvert - Belgian born heiress and mother of Charles Benedict CalvertMary Willing Clymer - Philadelphia socialiteJohn Singleton Copley - American colonial portraitistHoratio Gates - American Revolutionary War generalKing George III - King of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, 1760–1820King George IV - King of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, 1820-1830John Jay - First Chief Justice of the United States Supreme CourtThomas Jefferson - Third President of the United StatesRufus King - a signer of United States Constitution.Robert Kingsmill - Admiral in Royal Navy during American and French Revolutionary WarsKing Louis XVI - King of France, 1774 - 1792James Madison - Fourth President of the United StatesDaniel McCormick - New York merchant and banker[citation needed]

Samuel Miles - Revolutionary War General, Philadelphia Mayor, and America's first faithless electorJames Monroe - Fifth President of the United StatesDaniel Pinckney Parker - Prominent Boston MerchantJohn Randolph of Roanoke - Virginia Congressman and Senator[40]

Joshua Reynolds - English artistHenry Rice - Boston merchant and Massachusetts state legislator[40]

Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney, in whose honour the cities of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia and Sydney in Nova Scotia, Canada, are named, in 1785 and 1788 respectively.[40]

George Washington - First President of the United StatesMartha Washington - First First Lady of the United States, wife of George WashingtonBenjamin West - American painterCatherine Brass Yates - Philadelphia socialite