Presidential Portraiture

     Before the development and widespread usage of the camera, portraiture was the only way to capture a person's image. For centuries portraits were only available to the very wealthy, such as royal families or aristocrats; and since 1789, the list has included U.S. Presidents.
      For decades many people could only see their president though portraits, busts, stamps, and the like, there were no photographs or television specials to show what the president looked like. When it comes to depicting a nation's leader, there is little room for error; only the most skilled and professional artists come to produce true likenesses of their leaders. For a presidential portraitist, the task of capturing the President is no small matter.

      When it comes to presidential portraiture,there are many factors that play into how the image should taken on and captured. The most important factor is of course mood. What mood should be conveyed in the portrait? Some presidential portraits show the President as a strong figure while others show a more comfortable and compassionate persona. All of these moods need to be appropriate to the President as these portraits show the nation their most elite officer or leader; the President is not only a figurehead, but someone the nation turns to in crisis, and the image of the President is very crucial.

1800 Thomas Jefferson By Rembrandt Peale

      This portrait of Thomas Jefferson by Rembrandt Peale depicts the President as a compassionate and learned man, capable of greatness yet still only human. Jefferson's face is stern and serious, yet his eyes are soft and inviting. His brow is set and shows that Jefferson is man of intellect and great wisdom. The President is dressed in  serious black, though there is a soothing, pale light peaking from behind his shoulders, giving him an overall gentle feel.

1884 Rutherford B. Hayes By Daniel Huntington

      Here, the President, Rutherford B. Hayes, is portrayed as a very serious man and a very serious President. Hayes is standing in a very strong pose, his eyes set straight ahead, and his demeanor is fierce. One arm is at the President's side while the other is positioned on a stack of papers, showing that the President means business.

1869 Abraham Lincoln By P. A. Healy

     This strong portrait of Abraham Lincoln, painted by George P. A. Healy, captures the President in a grim and dire air. Here, Lincoln is caught in deep though, sitting in a regal armchair. The President looks so lost in thought that he is looking away to the side, his hand on his chin. The dark shades of brown, black, and red give the portrait a gloomy atmosphere. This dark portrait is befitting to this president considering his term during the Civil War, and his assassination. P. A. Healy had captured President Lincoln as a strong and thoughtful man.

      Portraits of the American Presidents were very important back in their day, and remain important today. Without these portraits, the American people may never have known the face of their President.

Here are a few of the other Presidential portraits:

1835 Andrew Jackson By Ralph E. W. Earl

1895 Benjamin Harrison By Eastman Johnson

1911 William Howard Taft By Anders Zorn

1947 Harry S. Truman By Martha Greta Kempton

1970 John F. Kennedy By Aaron Shikler

Paul-Gustave Doré: Engraving the Dreamscape

 

From The Bible

     Paul-Gustave Doré, or simply Gustave Doré, was the premier printmaker and engraver of the mid-to-late 19th century. He is the most famous, if not the best engraver of the century. He is most well known for his illustrations in The Divine Comedy, The Inferno, and Don Quixote. Though Doré was also a
sculptor and later a painter, he is most well known for his vivid and imaginative woodcuts depicting gruesome and horrific scenes depicted in the books they represented.

      Gustave Doré was born in Strasbourg France in 1832 (died in Paris, 1883). Throughout his lifetime, Doré made a living through his art by printing in local journals and papers. But he would not see fame and recognition until he moved to Paris in 1847. Doré would work making weekly lithograph caricatures for the Journal pour Rire from 1848-51. From this platform, Doré would launch his life into the fame that take him.

From The Inferno

      In his lifetime, Doré would come to illustrate some 90 books (though some suggest the number of illustrated books could number up to 200 or more). Most of the work Doré would produce centered around historical and religious texts. His style and taste was a slight bit morbid, as he had a passion and interest in the macabre and grotesque. This style connected with the epic, dark, and dreamlike Romantic writers. Doré's art can be found in such works as The Divine Comedy, The Inferno, Paradise Lost, The Raven, The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, Fables de La Fontaine, and even The Bible.

      Gustave Doré was giving visions to literature, bringing to life the books that he touched. Doré took the images set fourth by great writers and gave them wings on which to fly and mouths for which to breath. Doré's engravings give a new voice and a new depth to literature, setting free the dreamlike images within the pages.

From Fables de La Fontaine

From The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner

From The Raven

From Paradise Lost

American Civil War Poets & Painters

      The American Civil War was a trying time for the U.S. This harrowing ordeal pitted brother against brother in a bloody battle of dispute. Within these few years the American nation was plagued with sadness, pain, and hardship for those involved. Some fought for freedom, some fought for justice, some for their homeland, and some for themselves. Though this time is behind America, the beating of the war drums can still be felt. The feel of battle can be imagined through the war poems and literature of solders and bystanders; the harsh aftermath and repair of the post-war people can been understood with each brushstroke of the veteran artist. We can remember those lost and what they fought for when we delve deeper into the art and literature of the American Civil War.

1861 "Our Banner in the Sky" By Frederic Church

      When it comes to Civil War poetry there are several styles and subjects. Some poets write about the call to arms or unity for the nation, others write about the roles of women in the war, national pride, or tales of the individual solder. Some of the most famous poets of the time include Walt Whitman, John Greenleaf Whittier, and Herman Melville.
      Whitman's most popular poem, "O Captain, My Captain," was inspired by the death of Abraham Lincoln. This poem was included in Whitman's collection Sequel to Drum-Taps and again in Leaves of Grass.
      Greenleaf's poem "Barbara Frietchie" is a prime example of how some Northern people viewed the Southern rebels. In this poem, Greenleaf describes a picturesque landscape in the North threatened by General Lee and his "barbarian" army.
      Herman Melville collected a folio of work in his 1866 Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War. Within this

Color guard of the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry

collection there are numerous examples of Civil War life and remembrance, such as "The Portent" and "Shiloh." Some of Melville's poems express a hope for a united nation, others question the war and what it might accomplish. Some celebrate the solder, and others remember whose who have been lost.

      Many poems were written during the Civil War, and many more were written post-war. These post-Civil War poems feature a broad selection of topics, much like the works written during the war. Some were about piecing together a broken nation and remembering the fallen soldiers, other were about feelings of doubt and hostility on both sides of the war.

John Greenleaf Whittier

      "Acceptation," a poem by Mrs. Margret J. Preston, expresses the relief of the Confederacy that the war
is finally over. Though there is peace and the fighting if over, there are still some feeling of resentment and hostility, but more than anything, their is peace and rest.
      Abram Joseph Ryan, under the pseudonym "Moina," wrote "The Conquered Banner" at the end of the war. This poem is about General Lee's surrender at the Appomattox Courthouse and memorializes the failure of Southern war efforts.

      Civil War art and artists also played their part to depict stories of the Civil War. The paintings and other works of Civil War era artists depict a broken landscape and the challenges of once again uniting a nation. Artists such as Winslow Homer, Sanford Gifford, Frederic Church, and Eastman Johnson helped to pain the post-Civil War America as the people saw it.

1866 "Prisoners from the Front" By Winslow Homer

     One of the strongest images produced of the post-Civil War attitude is "Prisoners from the Front" by Winslow Homer. This painting exhibits four Confederate soldiers in the foreground surrendering to a Union brigadier general; a broken landscape filled with weary soldiers fills the background. The Confederate soldiers are tied and tattered, battered and disgruntled. The youthful Union solder featured at the right is confident and assured, glad that the war is over and glad to be on the "winning" side. This painting exhibits the feelings of surrender and weariness that followed the war. It also showcases the confusion and hostilities felt by some of the soldiers.

1871 "The Wounded Drummer Boy" By Eastman Johnson

      Eastman Johnson's painting "The Wounded Drummer Boy" is an exceptional display of Southern pride, confidence, defiance, and courage. In this painting, a young, wounded drummer boy has been hoisted up on the shoulders of a Confederate soldier. As the story goes, during the battle of Antietam a young drummer was wounded in the leg and asked a Confederate soldier to carry him onward so that he could continue drumming for for his unit. Johnson began work on this painting in 1864, the year he showcased the drawings, and finished painting it in 1871.

      Together, the poets and artists of the American Civil War help show the world today what it was like on the battlefield of yesteryear.

Artist Profile: Elizabeth Bouguereau, the Salon Vanguard

Elizabeth Bouguereau

      Elizabeth Jane Gardner Bouguereau (1837-1922), second wife of the famous William Bouguereau, was in many ways a vanguard of the Paris Salon scene. She was one of the many Americans artists to make the voyage to Paris to study their trade after the Civil War. She was also instrumental in changing the Salon forever.

      Paris was and has been the the capital of the art words for

1887 "The Farmer's Daughter"

centuries. Artists from around the world flocked to France to study art and become an accomplished and accepted artist. However, many art institutes and galleries did not accept female artists. Elizabeth Bouguereau sought to change this. Born in Rockingham New Hampshire in 1837, Elizabeth longed to become a famous artist. She found her chance in 1864 and set off to Paris. She "attended" the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts. Though the academy barred women admittance, Elizabeth refused to surrender, enrolling in private classes. Here she studied under the guidance and teachings of William Adolphe Bouguereau, one of the most beloved artists of the time (whom she would later wed). Elizabeth studied classic works as well as contemporary art in Paris, developing a large portfolio of work. Elizabeth's paintings were shown in 25 Paris Salons, and she won a bronze medal in the 1889 Exposition Universelle. But this did come easy.

"The Dove Fanciers"

      In 1879, Elizabeth became engaged to William Bouguereau (then married in 1896). William Bouguereau, whose influence had a strong impact on Elizabeth, painted neo-classical scenes of children and domestic life, celebrated by the public. Elizabeth persuaded her husband to use his power and influence as President of the Academy, Head of the Salon, and President of the Legion d'Honneur to allow women artists to be a part of the Salon. Elizabeth was a strong woman, and with her dedication and her husband's position, female artists began to get the credit they deserved. Elizabeth Bouguereau was one of the strongest forces behind the push for acceptance of female artists into the Salon, if not behind the scenes.

      Though Elizabeth developed a grand collection of work, she is often criticized as having a style too similar to her husband and teacher, William Bouguereau; these criticisms began even in her own lifetime. To these claims Elizabeth said, "I know I am criticized for not more boldly asserting my individuality, but I would rather be known as the best imitator of Bouguereau than nobody!" This statement goes to show just how difficult it was for female artists to make a name for themselves. But thanks to Bouguereau, this is less true today. (For more information and gallery info, visit: http://www.artrenewal.org/pages/artist.php?artistid=372 ; http://www.nmwa.org/explore/artist-profiles/elizabeth-jane-gardner-bouguereau)

By Elizabeth Bouguereau

By William Bouguereau

the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts

the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts

Bouguereau

Native American Art: Bridging the Language Barrier

Mayan Petroglyph

      Written language as we have today did not exist in the Native American cultures of pre-Columbian America. Though today many tribes have adapted the Roman alphabet and have developed a written language, the only known native written languages in the Americas belonged to the Maya and Aztecs. The quipu, as they are called, is considered a written language. But what of the rest of America? How did the other tribes and nations communicate?
written language of these two groups were pictographic, based in symbols or hieroglyphs, similar to those found in Egypt. Also, the Incas of Peru developed system of colored ropes and knots, primarily used for counting inventories of trade. These

      All of the Native American Indian tribes and nations had their own unique tongue. They also each had their own rituals and practices. With so many differences in language and custom, how did the tribes of North America communicate effectively? It is known that many of the Native Americans used a form of sign language to communicate. Smoke signals were also used to communicate messages. The only issues with these lines of communication is that they could only communicate simple or predetermined messages, such as, "danger ahead" or "seek shelter." With these difficult language barriers baring effective communication, the tribes turned to art.

      Art for the sake of art was not part of the Native American tradition, all art had a purpose. Most of the

Sand Painting "Home of the Bears"

art created by Native Americans was dedicated to worshiping the gods, and their love and respect for nature. All of their art held this strong belief in the divinity of nature, their sand painting, beadwork, weaving, leather, and pottery.
      The style of work that the Native Americans employed took on the form of many geometric shapes and patterns. With repetition, these shapes became representational of more than just patterns, they became a language in and of themselves that would transcend the language barriers baring communication among the many tribes. The harmony expressed by these works of art helped the Native Tribes to communicate grand ideas in a way that they could not have done before. This art opened up new forms of communication and helped to unite the scattered tribes under one clear image.

For more information visit: http://nativeamerican-art.com/index.html