About this item
An eloquent new look at the beginnings of the American republic--through the portraits of its first icon, George Washington, and the painters who defined him. "I am so hackneyed to the touches of the painters pencil, that I am now altogether at their beck ... no dray moves more readily to the Thill, than I do to the Painters Chair."--George Washington, May 16, 1785 When George Washington was born, the New World had virtually no artists. Over the course of his life and career, a cultural transformation would occur. Virtually everyone regarded Washington as America's indispensable man, and the early painters and sculptors were no exception. Hugh Howard brings to life the founding fathers of American painting, and the elusive Washington himself, through the history of their portraits.
About the Author
The author of more than twenty much-admired books, Hugh Howard has written about architecture and landscape, presidents and painting. In telling stories of the past, he follows the fault lines where the lives of essential characters intersect. Thus in his newest book, ARCHITECTS OF AN AMERICAN LANDSCAPE (Atlantic, January 2022) , he traces the careers of Henry Hobson Richardson, who, though dead at just forty-seven, is still regarded by many as the nation's most influential architect, and of Frederick Law Olmsted, the man responsible for introducing parks to the American city. A narrative of friendship and collaboration, the book follows the two visionaries as they reimagine the American landscape during the radical changes of the post-Civil War era. The parents of two grown daughters, Hugh and wife Betsy divide their time between homes in the Hudson Valley and New Hampshire's Upper Valley. For more, see hughhoward.com.
