The Skater, a portrait of William Grant (1782)
Gilbert Charles Stuart (1755-1828)
National Gallery, Washington D.C.
Such grace, such poise, such arrogance, such shapely ankles...
A perfect painting for Rev. Slope from The Barister Chronicals.
Stuart was a born contradititon. He fled to England on the eve of the American Revolution, but is best known for
his portraits of America's Founding Fathers. He was a prolific artist,
but often gave up on a piece if the sitter bored him. He earned a lot of money, but barely kept out of debtors' prison.
If
Stuart's artistic style looks slightly familiar to Americans, it's
because you see it every day. Can't place it? Open your wallet.
Take a good look at a one dollar bill. That portrait of George Washington, the "Athenaeum Head," is Stuart's work. So is the life-size painting of Washington that hangs in the East Room of the White House. When the British burned the capital in the War of 1812, this was the picture that First Lady Dolly Madison grabbed as she dashed for safety.
Click to see the real The Skater
Click image above to go to the next page, or choose a thumbnail below
to go directly to that FAMOUS ARt.
to go directly to that FAMOUS ARt.
(I always give permission, but it's still nice to ask first)