The Athenaeum Portrait, also known as The Athenaeum, is an unfinished painting of former United States President George Washington by Gilbert Stuart. It was created in 1796. But did you know why it was left undone?
According to artist Rembrandt Peale, Martha Washington “wished a Portrait for herself” and persuaded her husband to sit again for Stuart “on the express condition that it should be hers when finished.” On the other hand, Stuart did not want to part with the painting and left it unfinished.
Who is Gilbert Stuart?
Stuart grew up in Newport, Rhode Island, and learned painting fundamentals there. In 1775, he traveled to London and entered the studio of the American expatriate artist Benjamin West, with whom he collaborated for about six years. On the other hand, his mature style owes more to Thomas Gainsborough and Sir Joshua Reynolds than to West. Stuart established his own London studio in 1782, and for the next five years, he received portrait commissions from some of England’s most distinguished gentlemen. Despite his success, he fled to Dublin in 1787 to avoid his creditors.
After six years in Ireland, he moved to the United States, quickly becoming the country’s leading portrait painter. He briefly lived in New York City before relocating to Philadelphia, where he spent the next 12 years. In 1805 he finally settled in Boston.
Although Stuart had no formal students, many young artists benefited from his free advice, including John Vanderlyn, Thomas Sully, and John Neagle.
Stuart’s working method, in which he painted his sitters’ faces directly onto the canvas or panel, particularly impressed these artists. Less talented artists, including his daughter Jane, reduced his style to a formula reflected in much subsequent American portraiture. (Source: Britannica)
The Painting of the Late President George Washington Called The Athenaeum.
The Athenaeum Portrait, also known as The Athenaeum, is an unfinished painting of former United States President George Washington by Gilbert Stuart. It is Stuart’s most well-known work, having been completed in 1796.
The oil on canvas painting depicted only Washington’s head and neck and was completed on a brown background when he was 65 years old. The remaining portion of the painting is unfinished. John Doggett, a frame maker, picture dealer, and entrepreneur, created the frame.
It served as a model for the engraving used for Washington’s portrait on the one-dollar bill of the United States. (Source: National Portrait Gallery)
为什么雅典娜博物馆未完成？
斯图尔特未完成作品的背景几乎和主题本身一样引人入胜。根据斯图尔特的同时代人伦勃朗·皮尔的说法，她丈夫的另一幅肖像如此吸引了玛莎·华盛顿，以至于她为自己委托了第二幅画。
华盛顿同意为斯图尔特作画，但艺术家拒绝交出这幅新肖像，因为他知道可以将其作为未来委托的模型。斯图尔特故意让作品保持未完成，并开始制作和出售复制品。
据称他把这些复制品称为“一百美元钞票”，因为他对其收取的价格。据信斯图尔特从玛莎·华盛顿委托的未完成作品中复制了130幅肖像。大约有六十幅至今仍存世。（来源：Art And Object）
