You can call me SL, this is about living.



Emanuel Leutze's "Washington Crossing the Delaware"
Manhattan, NY from my 2012 archive


Emanuel Leutze's "Washington Crossing the Delaware"
Manhattan, NY from my 2012 archive


Gilbert Stuart's "George Washington"
Manhattan, NY from my 2012 archive

February 20, 2012

Happy President's Day

Most people in The United States have today off because it's President's Day. Let's honor the Presidents for allowing everyone to have a day off, thanks George Washington...Thomas Jefferson...Abraham Lincoln...John F. Kennedy...Barack Obama.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art recently opened the New American Wing. The undisputed attraction is the painting, "Washington Crossing the Delaware." I must say it is completely impressive. The scale alone is something to get excited about and that gold frame. Who doesn't love a little bling bling and American history combined. It is a painting that commands your attention. The composition, the light, the expressive determination of the people.

I have a serious fascination with the images of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and non-president Benjamin Franklin. I find them interesting subjects to draw; Washington with his 18th century coiffure, Lincoln with his deep set eyes, and Franklin who graces the one hundred dollar bill, enough said.

The Swede and I visited George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate on a whim a few years ago while on a trip to Washington D.C. The estate was vast and we were able to tour the main mansion, where Washington died, the kitchens, stable, animal paddock, gardens, mill, his tomb, and the slave memorial. We did miss one thing, the teeth, in the museum. Why we skipped the museum and headed straight for the shop, my fault. We had a limited amount of time, and I was on a mission to find a George Washington cross-stitch kit.

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