tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post3684874083992859245..comments2024-03-26T16:11:44.515-04:00Comments on All Things Ruffnerian, a Design Blog and More: George Washington's Left EyeMark D. Ruffnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241533547309049140noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-61370976252654639612010-09-10T21:13:15.950-04:002010-09-10T21:13:15.950-04:00Thanks, Joe!
Few if any sculptors have surpassed ...Thanks, Joe!<br /><br />Few if any sculptors have surpassed Jean-Antoine Houdon for capturing likenesses. When you see a portrait bust of one of his subjects — Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, Voltaire — you can trust that that's what they really looked like. Not only did Houdon work from life masks, but he took numerous head measurements with calipers. A testament to Houdon's skill is that John Paul Jones' remains (which were in question) were authenticated by matching Jones' skull to Houdon's bust of him.Mark D. Ruffnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09241533547309049140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-58002052174944031782010-09-10T14:59:44.501-04:002010-09-10T14:59:44.501-04:00Mark, thanks for another fascinating article. I di...Mark, thanks for another fascinating article. I did as you mentioned above and found an image of Houdon's Washington. http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/us.capitol/twenty6.jpg<br />I recognize the face, but it looks much less like the painted images I am familiar with than I expected. Had I come across it on my own I would have dismissed this sculpture, but with your guidance I feel I am seeing George for the first time.Joe Kennyhttp://www.facebook.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-38219013150111291222010-09-08T22:50:41.771-04:002010-09-08T22:50:41.771-04:00Thanks so much!
I would agree with you that it is...Thanks so much!<br /><br />I would agree with you that it is Stuart's vision of Washington that is in our collective consciousness, though I much prefer the painting by Rembrandt Peale that currently resides over the Oval Office mantle. To see the truest likeness of Washington, one should study the sculptures of Jean-Antoine Houdon, who worked closely from a life mask.Mark D. Ruffnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09241533547309049140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-35504190911060422882010-09-08T17:51:57.863-04:002010-09-08T17:51:57.863-04:00I wonder how many artists painted George Washingto...I wonder how many artists painted George Washington? Is Stuart to thank for the image we all have in our head of George? If so, his eye may not really have looked like that at all, but since Stuart thought it looked like that, then we all now think it looked like that.... does that make sense? Fascinating study. I will be adding you to my blogroll now!Blayne Macauleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05168898046058091176noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-21112989439472474432010-09-08T12:06:07.186-04:002010-09-08T12:06:07.186-04:00Thanks!
Gilbert Stuart was an interesting fellow ...Thanks!<br /><br />Gilbert Stuart was an interesting fellow and makes for good reading. He had a hard time at one of Washington's sittings because the president's mouth hurt from his ill-fitting dentures (doubtlessly a chronic problem). Washington's features sagged around the mouth that day, and looked unnatural. So Stuart suggested plumping up the area by stuffing Washington's mouth with a little cotton, which Washington allowed. That accounts for the rather flat look one sees around Washington's mouth on the one dollar bill. Poor George!Mark D. Ruffnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09241533547309049140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-41461221065202539332010-09-08T10:57:36.436-04:002010-09-08T10:57:36.436-04:00That's a fascinating study of how Stuart likel...That's a fascinating study of how Stuart likely worked – and how you work, as well.Arthur Levynoreply@blogger.com