Gilbert Stuart’s Unfinished Portrait of George Washington
Gilbert Stuart first painted George Washington in 1795 (in a work now known only from copies). That painting was so successful that, according to artist Rembrandt Peale, Martha Washington “wished a Portrait for herself.” She persuaded her husband to sit again for Stuart “on the express condition that when finished it should be hers.” Stuart, however, did not want to part with the picture and left it unfinished so that he could refer to it when producing future commissions. Known as the “Athenaeum” portrait because it went to the Boston Athenaeum after Stuart’s death, this painting served as the basis for the engraving of Washington that appears on the one-dollar bill. John Neal, an early-nineteenth-century writer and art critic, wrote, “Though a better likeness of him were shown to us, we should reject it; for, the only idea that we now have of George Washington, is associated with Stuart’s Washington.” (National Portrait Gallery)
Gilbert Stuart’s portrait, the portrait on the current US $1 bill
Today’s SEE & RESPOND Challenge
Finish this portrait by Gilbert Stuart
Media is artist’s choice
#georgewashington
Post it
To be eligible for prizes (yes prizes!) at the end of the month, post your work to Instagram with #30sal and #georgewashington so we can find your post.
To find more followers for your page, you can cut/paste these to your post:
DAY 11: BEFORE AND AFTER https://seattleartistleague.padlet.org/SAL/dvmaz3zn3za0146v
DAY 10: MORANDI https://seattleartistleague.padlet.org/SAL/8yxbfsoudzf2uq81
Deadline for Prizes
Deadline for submissions: 3 days after each challenge post.
January prize winners will be announced in February.
To learn more about the 30SAL Challenge, click here.
Fun Fact: In 1862 the first one-dollar bill was issued as a Legal Tender Note (United States Note) with a portrait of Salmon P. Chase, the Secretary of the Treasury who served under President Abraham Lincoln. George Washington didn’t appear on the note until 1869
Interested in studying sumi-e painting? Angie Dixons’ top recommended book for beginning is The Sumi-e Book by Yolanda Mayhall. The information in The Sumi-e Book is very good and accessible, and books and youtube are great for learning sumi-e but, Dixon says, students really need to have the pressure of a teacher. Today’s Beginning Sumi-e workshop …
Find an old catalogue, magazine, maps, drawings, paintings, wrappers, etc. Stack the materials. You may wish to use some impermanent glue. Working with an x-acto blade, or tearing by hand, remove paper to reveal previous layers. Post your work Post to Instagram with #30SAL so we can find it. To be eligible for prizes, (yes …
While brainstorming for this 30 day challenge, I ran across other drawing challenges. One in particular caught my attention: Tales of a Kitchen Witch posted a template of an incomplete duck and asked users to “draw a duck and share your art.” After that, the “draw a duck” challenge went viral. Some of the responses …
Welcome another selection of faves from our January 30SAL Creative Challenge. Day 7 the challenge was to transcribe Manet’s Luncheon on the Grass. A transcription doesn’t have to be a copy, it can be a way to take an element or concept and reimagine it in another form. Some of these images were borrowed from …
Day 12: Gilbert Stuart’s Unfinished Portrait of George Washington #30SAL
Gilbert Stuart’s Unfinished Portrait of George Washington
Gilbert Stuart first painted George Washington in 1795 (in a work now known only from copies). That painting was so successful that, according to artist Rembrandt Peale, Martha Washington “wished a Portrait for herself.” She persuaded her husband to sit again for Stuart “on the express condition that when finished it should be hers.” Stuart, however, did not want to part with the picture and left it unfinished so that he could refer to it when producing future commissions. Known as the “Athenaeum” portrait because it went to the Boston Athenaeum after Stuart’s death, this painting served as the basis for the engraving of Washington that appears on the one-dollar bill. John Neal, an early-nineteenth-century writer and art critic, wrote, “Though a better likeness of him were shown to us, we should reject it; for, the only idea that we now have of George Washington, is associated with Stuart’s Washington.” (National Portrait Gallery)
Today’s SEE & RESPOND Challenge
Finish this portrait by Gilbert Stuart
Media is artist’s choice
#georgewashington
Post it
To be eligible for prizes (yes prizes!) at the end of the month, post your work to Instagram with #30sal and #georgewashington so we can find your post.
To find more followers for your page, you can cut/paste these to your post:
#30sal #georgewashington #portrait #unfinished #unfinishedportrait #unfinishedpainting #vnotes #creativechallenge #januarychallenge #drawingchallenge #drawing #art #sketch #artchallenge #artist #draw #artistsoninstagram #sketchbook #instaart #artwork #drawingoftheday #dailydrawing #oilpainting #mixedmedia #drawingsketch #artoftheday #creativity
Padlet
Don’t have Instagram? Post your work to Padlet.
DAY 12: GEORGE WASHINGTON https://seattleartistleague.padlet.org/SAL/ewht7nr1bszm24sy
DAY 11: BEFORE AND AFTER https://seattleartistleague.padlet.org/SAL/dvmaz3zn3za0146v
DAY 10: MORANDI https://seattleartistleague.padlet.org/SAL/8yxbfsoudzf2uq81
Deadline for Prizes
Deadline for submissions: 3 days after each challenge post.
January prize winners will be announced in February.
To learn more about the 30SAL Challenge, click here.
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Interested in studying sumi-e painting? Angie Dixons’ top recommended book for beginning is The Sumi-e Book by Yolanda Mayhall. The information in The Sumi-e Book is very good and accessible, and books and youtube are great for learning sumi-e but, Dixon says, students really need to have the pressure of a teacher. Today’s Beginning Sumi-e workshop …
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