The official paintings of US presidents were usually commissioned from the best artists of their day, and all of them provide a valuable insight into each portrayed leader. Another notable trend is that, as the years went by, US president portraits have developed and turned more into works of art than straight depictions. However, when observed collectively, all these portraits have one thing in common - they all evoke the history and stories of the nation's highest office and the individuals who have occupied it. Some presidential portraits were made to emphasize sophistication, some were painted in order to be striking some were calculated to impress us with their gravity while others are unexpectedly intimate. Greatest Presidential Portraits From the White House Gallery The other change recent presidencies saw implemented is that now it's acceptable for the portrait to be commissioned after the presidential term is finished. Traditionally, these pictures were painted in oil, but modern times saw a shift that allowed photos to also be acceptable, usually until a painting is completed. The 2013 winner was Bo Gehring, whose close-up video and sound portrait of jazz musician Esperanza Spalding draws delight and praise from visitors.Since Barack and Michelle Obama recently unveiled their official portraits at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, we thought this might be a good time to do a little bit of retrospecting and take a look at the most intriguing US presidential portraits hanging in the White House and the National Portrait Gallery.īeginning with Gilbert Stuart's portrait of George Washington, it has been a custom for the President of the United States to have an official portrait taken during his time in office. In 2006, the Portrait Gallery hosted the first Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, now a prestigious triennial event, which also brings commissioned works into the collection. In the late 1990s, the Portrait Gallery began commissioning portraits of presidents, beginning with George H. Over the years the collections, which were initially restricted to paintings, prints, drawings, and engravings, have grown to over 23,000 items in all media, from daguerreotypes to digital. "America's Presidents" continues to acquire portraits-including paintings, sculpture, photographs, caricatures, video, and time-based media-of each succeeding president. Reynolds Foundation allowed the "Lansdowne" painting to be purchased as a gift to the nation. In 2000, the Portrait Gallery was in danger of losing this painting-which had been on loan since the museum's opening in 1968-when its owner decided to sell it. Gilbert Stuart's "Lansdowne" painting of George Washington is the grand introductory image to this exhibition. Through the visual arts, performing arts, and new media, the Portrait Gallery presents poets and presidents, visionaries and villains, actors and activists whose lives form our national identity.Īs the nation's only complete collection of presidential portraits outside the White House, the "America's Presidents" exhibition lies at the heart of the Portrait Gallery's mission to tell the country's history through the individuals who have shaped it. Today, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery continues to narrate the multi-faceted and ever-changing story of America through the individuals who have shaped its culture. The National Portrait Gallery was authorized and founded by Congress in 1962 with the mission to acquire and display portraits of individuals who have made significant contributions to the history, development, and culture of the people of the United States.
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