Classical Blog

My chosen topic for this "virtual exhibit" is revolution and art in the 1700's.

"Lansdowne Portrait" by Gilbert Stuart, 1796
    "Lansdowne Portrait" Is a George Washington sized painting of George Washington which shows him looking very cool and assertive and official, in the middle of doing what I assume is very official president related stuff. It was painted by Gilbert Stuart, a dude very well known for painting portraits such as this one. He was so well known and cool that the United States government even put his face on postage stamps, along with 34 other cool dudes(dudes is gender neutral here because they weren't all men). This painting is connected to the influences of the classical era through the American Revolution; George Washington was a general in the American Revolution and was appointed as the first leader of the independent nation that the revolution had sought to create. I do not find this painting very appealing via aesthetic nor meaning. Unless you have the context, it is just some guy standing and gesturing to something out of frame, and with context it's still not any more meaningful to me. Its an old dude who did some meaningful stuff, lead a nation with a good idea of how it should develop moving forward(diverse political parties to allow for the greatest amount of choice and coverage of beliefs), saw it develop in the complete opposite way(two dominant parties which only support polarizing views), and then he died. And that was all 200+ years ago. Visually it doesn't appeal to me either. There's nothing to make the subject stand out more than any other old white man, how much he stands out only comes from the fame he had in life. Also his eyes look dead and devoid of emotion and it kind of creeps me out a bit. I understand the appeal others derive from this artwork; its a prominent historical figure, Its just I am not drawn to things based on that sentiment. I would not own this piece; it belongs in a museum, not my home.
"The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries" by Jacques-Louis David, 1812
    This paintings subject is Napoleon Buonaparte, he's almost like George Washington but French. This painting is much more ownable because Napoleon is a short funny looking guy, and not some boring old guy. Napoleon led many battles in the French Revolutionary Wars, which provides this artwork a very clear connection to revolution in the 1700's. While his outfit may look a little silly goofy to us modern folks, it probably looked pretty bad-ass to the target audience.

Sources:
Wikimedia Foundation "Lansdowne Portrait" 18 Aug 2020
Wikimedia Foundation "Sarah Goodridge" 14 Aug 2016
Mount Vernon "General Washington in the American Revolution" Feb 2017
History Channel "American Revolution" 7 Mar 2010
Britannica "Napoleon I" 16 Jun 2015
Wikimedia Foundation "The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries"  24 Oct 2016
Wikimedia Foundation "Napoleon" 18 Feb 2004

Comments

  1. MomMarch 21, 2024 at 9:30 PM

    I will assume these works belong to the neoclassical era, due to the time period and subject matter. We see neoclassic art bring the focus to patriotism and this is evident as the two portraits you've chose are of well known political figures. In both portraits, the figures are in relatively stagnant positions. The poses they are shown in look very posed and unnatural. I think if anything, this makes the figures look as if they hold more authority. Napoleon's portrait looks much more personable, due to his eye contact out towards the viewer. You note that you think Washington's eyes look vacant, I think that has a lot to do with him directing his eye contact into this distance.

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