Portrait of George Washington
This oil on canvas painting portrait of George Washington, also known as “The Athenaeum”, is by the American portrait artist, Gilbert Stuart, from 1796. This portrait of the first US President is probably the most recognizable presidential portrait to date, even though Stuart obviously never finished the canvas.
Painted from life, Stuart used it as a reference to paint over 130 copies that he sold individually. Today, 60 of these copies still exist. This is the same image used on the US currency one dollar bill.
Gilbert Stuart was commissioned by Washington to paint his portrait just before he finished his final term as president, along with a portrait of Washington’s wife, Martha, which coincidentally was also never finished. As they were never finished, Stuart never delivered the paintings to the Washington’s, and they remained in his possession until his death in 1828.
After Washington died, the fame of the first president grew exponentially. Everyone wanted their own portrait of the national hero, Washington, and Stuart found that he could produce a steady source of income by making copies of his initial painting. He actually referred to this piece as his “One Hundred Dollar bill” as he charged $100 for each copy made.
Stuart’s methodology for his portraits included forgoing initial sketches, and opting instead to start right on the canvas, which was uncommon of in his day. He also blended colors as little as possible on the canvas, as he believed the separate colors were what made the portraits luminous. Stuart was a man beholden to his passions, and he continually left pieces unfinished, or quickly finished them up as he often grew bored.
This portrait of George Washington is currently in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts.
For more on Gilbert Stuart, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
