The Skater (Portrait of William Grant) by Gilbert Stuart

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:

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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