A brush with history: paintings from the National Portrait Gallery. (Learning from Exhibitions).

A brush with history: paintings from the National Portrait Gallery. (Learning from Exhibitions). Imagine an exhibition that presents the work of dozens of fineartists from throughout history. Imagine an exhibition that chronicles75 of America's foremost citizens from colonial times right up tothe present, Imagine an exhibition that superbly combines the history ofart with the history of America History of America may refer to either: The History of the Americas The History of the United States . Such an exhibition is A Brush withHistory: Paintings from the National Portrait Gallery. The National Portrait Gallery, a Smithsonian Institution Smithsonian Institution,research and education center, at Washington, D.C.; founded 1846 under terms of the will of James Smithson of London, who in 1829 bequeathed his fortune to the United States to create an establishment for the "increase and diffusion of museum,was chartered by the United States United States,officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. Congress in 1962 with a mission tocollect and present portraits that depict Americans of nationalsignificance from throughout history. The collection now consists ofmore than 18,500 portraits, of which more than 1,000 are paintings. Byits diversity, scope, quality and scale, this collection of images ofAmericans whose accomplishments have shaped our history and culture isunique, and is a national treasure. This distinctive presentation was made possible, in part, by thefact that the facility that houses the National Portrait Gallery hasbeen completely closed and emptied of its vast art collection in orderto renovate and refurbish this historic structure. The museum isscheduled to reopen in 2004. The Greek Revival Greek revival:see classic revival. Greek RevivalArchitectural style based on 5th-century-BC Greek temples that spread throughout Europe and the U.S. in the early 19th century. building, which dates from 1867, is the OldPatent Office Building that later housed the Civil Service Commissionuntil it was slated for demolition in 1953 in order to construct aparking garage. Fortunately, following a few years of debate andpoliticking, this architectural landmark was spared the wrecking balland was transferred to the Smithsonian for use as a National PortraitGallery. The long anticipated Gallery finally opened to the public in1968. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share thesepaintings," says National Portrait Gallery Director Marc Pachter."We have newer assembled and toured an exhibition that includes somuch of the best of our collection because many have been on permanentdisplay." These paintings represent "people whose talent,intellect or sheer force of will helped shape our unique culture." According to according toprep.1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.2. In keeping with: according to instructions.3. the organizing curators, the paintings were selectedprimarily because of the artistic quality of the works themselves. Evenso, the list of individuals whose portraits are featured reads like a"Who's Who" of great American statesmen, writers,entertainers, educators and scientists, including George Washington,Martha Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Singleton Copley, Henry Clay,Mary Cassatt Mary Stevenson Cassatt (May 22, 1844 – June 14, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker. She lived much of her adult life in France, where she first befriended Edgar Degas and later exhibited among the Impressionists. , Henry James, Marianne Moore Noun 1. Marianne Moore - United States poet noted for irony and wit (1887-1872)Marianne Craig Moore, Moore , John Singer Sargent, GeorgeWashington Carver, John Carver, John,c.1576–1621, first governor of Plymouth Colony. A wealthy London merchant, in 1609 he emigrated to Holland, where he soon joined the Pilgrims at Leiden. Updike and Michael Jackson Noun 1. Michael Jackson - United States singer who began singing with his four brothers and later became a highly successful star during the 1980s (born in 1958)Michael Joe Jackson, Jackson . Among the numerous notable artists are Gilbert Stuart, Edgar Degas Noun 1. Edgar Degas - French impressionist painter (1834-1917)Degas, Hilaire Germain Edgar Degas ,Augustus John, Thomas Eakins, Marguerite Zorach, Thomas Hart Benton,Jamie Wyeth, Alice Neel, Alex Katz and Andy Warhol. As a subject, portraiture has a distinguished history and place innearly every culture and civilization from ancient times through to thepresent. Representations of a man or woman's image have beenproduced in every available media and in the widest variety of styles.But just as no two persons are alike in every way, so too, the style ofeach artist also is unique, and the choice of medium would have adecided effect on the execution and final design of a likeness. The purposes of a portrait are equally as varied. A portrait canprovide a visual record or document of an individual at one or manypoints in his or her life. Today, because of photography, we areaccustomed to having numerous portraits created over a lifetime topreserve the image of one at birth, baptism, school years, graduation,religious events, wedding, family gatherings, etc. A painted portrait,however, especially of the quality or size in this exhibition was ararity even for some of the famous or well-to-do. Thus, a fine likeness,especially by a noted artist, worthy of preservation, assures the sittersome degree of fame or immortality. Portraits were created to record one's position, or out ofrespect for that person's status, to commemorate an event or torecall history, to document an occupation or avocation, to preserve theimage of a loved one, sometimes even after his or her death. Yetportraits are not merely representations of one's physicalappearance, a good portrait informs the viewer of the sitter'scharacter and personality, even if the viewer did not know the sitterpersonally. The works in this exhibition demonstrate that unlike other genressuch as landscape or still life paintings, the creation of a portraitwas a collaboration. Each painting reveals the often complexrelationship between the artist, the subject and the patron, when it isa commissioned work. Some were intended for public display while otherswere destined for private use. In addition, there were self-portraits,some of which were made to experiment with new techniques orcompositions or for the sheer pleasure of self-expression. Portraits have always spoken to our human desire to learn abouteach other. Painted portraits of the 19th century, and prints based onthem, were a few of the ways to record the likeness of our nation'searly heroes and leaders, as well as family and friends. Indeed, fromthe Colonial period through the 1820s, portraiture was the most widelypracticed genre of American art. In addition, it was the primary sourceof income for artists. Many of the earliest American portrait painters were influenced bythe technique, style and fashion of European art, and some earlyAmericans were painted by Europeans. The wonderful portrait of BenjaminFranklin dates from his years in France when he represented theinterests of the Revolutionary American government at the French court.His keen intellect and sense of diplomacy affected a successful mission,while his wit and simplicity of manner made him a source of suchfascination that there was a brisk demand in French society for hisportraits. This particular likeness was owned by Franklin'sneighbor in Passy, France, Mme. Brillon de Jouy. The Cherokee leader Sequoyah is portrayed with a peace medal aroundhis neck and holding the alphabet that he developed for the Cherokeelanguage. As a result of his work, thousands of his people learned toread and write. The medal he wears is a reference to the treaty that wasnegotiated by Sequoyah in 1828 in Washington, D.C. This image eventuallywas one of 140 portraits of Native Americans to be published in athree-volume History of the Indian Tribes of North America, withBiographical Sketches and Anecdotes of the Principal Chiefs, 1838-1844.The name of Sequoyah is further perpetuated in the honorary naming ofthe genus of California's giant redwoods. The unusually casual portrait of Mary Cassatt, the great Americanpainter and printmaker, was created by the French Impressionist artistEdgar Degas as a token of friendship. Cassatt and Degas DegasTo release and vent gases. New building materials often give off gases and odors and the air should be well circulated to remove them.Mentioned in: Multiple Chemical Sensitivity met and becamefriends in the late 1870s, and it was with his encouragement that sheparticipated in the exhibitions with the other leading Impressionistartists. This freely executed painting probably dates from the early1880s and it is known that Degas included Cassatt in several otherworks. Cassatt kept the painting until 1913, when she asked a Parisdealer to sell it but to make sure it did not end up in an Americancollection where friends and family might see it. Apparently she was nothappy with the way Degas represented her. Born as a slave, George Washington Carver died an internationallyhonored scientist after a career of nearly 40 years as a researcher andeducator at Alabama's Tuskegee Institute. Best known for findingmore than 400 synthetic products in the peanut and the sweet potato,ranging from margarine to library paste, Carver is portrayed in alaboratory apron inspecting a red and white amaryllis amaryllis(ăm'ərĭl`ĭs), common name for some members of the Amaryllidaceae, a family of mostly perennial plants with narrow, flat leaves and with lilylike flowers borne on separate, leafless stalks. , a hybrid hedeveloped. This likeness is one of a series of paintings of prominentblack Americans created by Betsy Graves Reyneau in the early 1940s thatwas incorporated into an exhibit entitled, "Portraits of LeadingAmerican Negro Citizens." The display opened at the SmithsonianInstitution in 1944 and traveled extensively across the United Statesfor the next nine years. In the case of Michael Jackson by Andy Warhol, both the sitter andthe artist are regarded as "pop" icons. Only history will tellwhose fame will last longer. Dating from 1984, this image of the26-year-old Jackson is vintage Warhol. In this technique, Warhol'ssemi-mechanical approach is a combination of photography, silkscreenprinting and oil paint. As the artist once remarked, "I sort ofhalf paint them just to give it a style." That "style"that Warhol perfected is unique and instantly identifiable with thecelebrity artist and philosopher who suggested that anyone might achieve"15 minutes" of fame. This picture appeared on the cover ofTime magazine on March 19, 1984. The exhibition is accompanied by a beautifully published booktitled A Brush with History: Paintings from the National PortraitGallery, published by the Portrait Gallery and distributed by theUniversity Press of New England The University Press of New England (or UPNE), founded in 1970, is a university press that is supported by Brandeis University, Dartmouth College (where it is located), the University of New Hampshire, Northeastern University, Tufts University and the University of Vermont. . Mark M. Johnson is Director of the Montgomery (Ala.) Museum of FineArts Museum of Fine Arts,Boston, chartered and incorporated (1870) after a decision by the Boston Athenaeum, Harvard, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to pool their collections of art objects and house them in adequate public galleries. , and a Contributing Editor for Arts & Activities.