Month: November 2018

The Skater (Portrait of William Grant) by Gilbert Stuart

Portrait of William Grant ice skating.
Gilbert Stuart, The Skater (Portrait of William Grant), American, 1755 – 1828, 1782, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection

This full-length portrait of Scottish lawyer William Grant was Stuart’s first but already he was innovating. We’ll find out how a cold day in the studio led to this creative variation on a standard portrait pose and just what the heck the Serpentine greeting is!

We’ll also find out how despite his fame and plenty of work, Stuart ripped off the first First Lady, Martha Washington!

Here’s a detail of the frame I mentioned:

Close up of decorative carving of frame

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SHOW NOTES

“A Long Look” theme is Ascension by Ron Gelinas

Episode theme is “6 String Quartets – Quartet no. 1” composed by Charles Wesley, performed by Steve’s Bedroom Band. Courtesy of musopen.org

Gilbert Stuart information
https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.1911.html

The Skater information
https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.39729.html

George Washington (The Athenaeum Portrait) National Portrait Gallery entry

Serpentine Greeting/Mohawk (YouTube)

Recommended Reading

American Paintings of the Eighteenth Century (PDF)

Slow Art Day

Place du Carrousel by Camille Pissarro

Painting of the Tuileries Gardens
Camille Pissarro (French, 1830 – 1903), Place du Carrousel, Paris, 1900, oil on canvas, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection 1970.17.55

Camille Pissarro was an Impressionist painter who created this sun-drenched view of a famous park in 1900. We’ll find out where this lovely scene takes place and how and why just 5 small strokes of color can conjure up a fashionista.

We’ll also discover its connection to Hermann Goering and how a Gallery director was instrumental in the formation of the Monuments Men program.

Here’s a detail of the frame I describe. Check out the carving!

Close up of the elaborately carved corner of a painting frame
Corner detail of frame

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (7.3MB)

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SHOW NOTES

“A Long Look” theme is Ascension by Ron Gelinas

Episode theme is Menuet sur le nom d’Haydn composed by Maurice Ravel, performed by Luis Sarro. Courtesy of musopen.org

Place du Carrousel information
https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.52199.html#overview

Impressionism
https://www.nga.gov/features/slideshows/impressionism.html

World War II Provenance Research
https://www.nga.gov/collection/wwii-research.html

Monuments Men information
https://www.nga.gov/about/monuments-officers-national-gallery-art.html

The Monuments Men (movie)

The Monuments Men (book)

Slow Art Day

Recommended Reading

Art and Illusion by E.H. Gombrich

Daniel in the Lions’ Den by Sir Peter Paul Rubens

Painting showing Daniel in a cave surrounded by lions.
Sir Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577 – 1640 ), Daniel in the Lions’ Den, c. 1614/1616, oil on canvas, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

So who’s this big naked guy sitting around with a bunch of lions? Meet Daniel, a favorite counselor to the Persian king Darius. Daniel has made some powerful enemies which is how he got here. We’ll find out who ends up being the lions’ breakfast and how paintings like this allowed Rubens to become a successful diplomat.

We’ll also hear about how a painting the owners thought was just a copy and maintenance headache became one of the most highly praised pieces in the Gallery’s collection.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (7.4MB)

Subscribe: Spotify | TuneIn | RSS

SHOW NOTES

“A Long Look” theme is “Ascension” by Ron Gelinas

Episode theme is Fugue in G minor, “Little”, BWV 578, composed by Johann Sebastian Bach and performed by the Skidmore College Orchestra. Courtesy of musopen.org

Sir Peter Paul Rubens information
https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.1847.html

Daniel in the Lions’ Den information
https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.50298.html#overview

National Zoo Lion Cam

Reviewing Committee information
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reviewing_Committee_on_the_Export_of_Works_of_Art

Slow Art Day

Recommended Reading

Master of Shadows: The Secret Diplomatic Career of the Painter Peter Paul Rubens by Mark Lamster