The Baptism of Pocahontas

This painting by John Gadsby Chapman was painted in 1839 and hangs in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.   More than likely Chapman used Pocahontas as his subject because he had already used her as a subject in 1836.

The year was 1613 or 1614 and Pocahontas, the daughter of Algonkian chief Powhatan was baptized  and given the Anglican name Rebecca.

The painting marks two significant events……it might possibly a depiction of the earliest or least one of the earliest conversion to Christianity and along with Pocahontas’ marriage to John Rolfe created a time of peace between the colonists and the tribes of the Tidewater region.

Look behind Pocahontas……John Rolfe is standing behind her.   Notice the various faces in the groupings.

The painting was installed in the Rotunda in 1840 which might seem strange since the Indian Removals were underway during that period, but this website explains the painting highlights the lofty intentions of the Jamestown settlers and condemns the obstinacy of those who can be understood as ignoble savages.  It propagates the idea of the  the noble savage in Pocahontas, one who is said repeatedly in the literature of the 19^th century to have embodied Christian virtues even before she was converted.  The painting also appears to make a case for the harsh treatment of antagonistic, unassimilated Indians.  The policy of “removal” had begun seven years earlier, and it was apparent at the time Chapman’s work appeared that the entire continent would soon be invaded by ambitious American settlers.

The painting appeared on the reverse of the First Charter $20 National Bank notes in 1863 and 1875.

Chapman created the painting in the loft of a barn on G Street in Washington D.C. and endured several tragedies while the work was ongoing.   His son died in 1838 and his daughter only survived ten days after being born premature.   His financial situation was terrible and was plagued by several debts.    He worked on the painting quickly so he could be paid, however, Chapman noted on his daybook that the fee hardly covered his expenses.

Famous Art Thefts: The Amber Room

The Nazis took possession of many works of art as they marched across Europe during World War II.   It's estimated they looted twenty percent of the world's art.

Hitler had grand plans to fill his Fuhrer's Museum with stolen art.

One of the stolen treasures was the contents of the Amber Room from Catherine's Palace near Saint Petersburg.  The Germans dismantled the room and took it.

Unfortunately, the contents were never returned.  Many think the amber room was destroyed by bombs, lost in a sunken submarine or still hidden away in some forgotten place.  

You can find an article regarding the Amber Room at Smithsonian Online.

The Photography of Henry Cartier Bresson

One thing I can say with certainty…Henry Cartier Bresson led an interesting life.   Most folks in the know consider him to be the father of modern photojournalism, but his creative life began as a painter….later he switched to photography….and even later in life returned to the canvas.

He made the switch to photography when he came upon the realization during his 30s that a photograph could fix eternity in an instant.  He began traveling the world to take pictures.

His first photojournalism job was to cover the coronation of King George VI.    His pictures cover a unique perspective since his photos show the people along the King’s coronation route…..and none of the King.

During World War II Cartier Breeson joned the French army and in June, 1940 during the Battle of France he was captured by the Germans and held as a POW.   All total he spent 35 months as a prisoner, but on this third try was able to escape.  He spent the remainder of the war documenting the Occupation and the Liberation of France through photographs along with other scenes from the war.

After the war he formed Magnum Photos with Robert Capa, David Seymour, William Vandivert and George Rodger.  Their cooperative picture agency split up photo assignments throughout the world.   Cartier-Breeson covered China and India, and his partners covered other areas.

During his career with Magnum Cartier-Breeson covered Gandhi’s funeral in India in 1948 and the last stage of the Chinese Civil War.

In 1952, Cartier-Breeson published his book, The Decisive Moment…..a book of 125 photos from the east and west.   Cartier-Breeson stated, “There is nothing in this world that does not have a decisive moment.”  The cover was drawn by Henry Matisse.

In 1957, Cartier-Breeson told the Washington Post….”There is a creative faction of a second when you are taking a picture.  Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera.   That is the moment the photographer is creative.”He became the first Western photographer to work “freely” in the post-war Soviet Union.

By 1966, he left Magnum to concentrate solely on portraiture and landscapes.  By 1968, Cartier-Breeson turned back to drawing and painting admitting that had said all he could through his photography.   He married Magnum photographer, Martine Franck, thirty years younger than himself and had a daughter with her.

Photographs of Cartier-Breeson are scarce….but they do exist like this one.  

He didn’t like having his picture made.  In 1975 when he received an honorary degree from Oxford University he held a paper in front of his face.

Imagine all of the history this artist witnessed!!!

Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulip

This painting completed by Rembrandt in 1632 when he was just 26 has an interesting story.  The painting is titled Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulip and it happened to be Rembrandt’s first important commission. 

Dr. Tulip was a real person…..not only was he involved in medicine he was also involved in Amsterdam’s government.  It was Dr. Tulip’s signature found on the fitness reports for the first Dutch settlers on the island of Manhattan.

Not only did the medical students in the picture pay to witness Dr. Tulip’s dissection they also paid a fee to be featured in the painting.  Dr. Tulip is seen showing the muscles of the arm.

Notice they all appear to be wearing warm clothing because the dissection theater would have been kept as cold as possible to keep the body from deteriorating.

Also notice there are no cutting instruments.   Someone as important as Dr. Tulip would not have participated in the actual cutting of the body.   That role would have gone to the Preparator….it was his task to prepare the body for the lesson, and he is missing from Rembrandt’s picture.

And the body?    He was the criminal Aris Kindt who was convicted for armed robbery and sentenced to death by hanging. 

Art historians can actually pinpoint this painting to January 16, 1632….since the guild of surgeons was permitted one public dissection a year, and the body had to be that of a convicted criminal.

Woman With Hat

This painting was completed by Henri Matisse in 1905 and depicts Matisse's wife....Amelie. 


 Gertrude Stein bought the painting along with her brother Leo.

They bought it in order to lift Matisse’s spirits after the show this painting was included was panned by the critics.  One critic said the paintings looked like a pot had been flung in the face of the public. 

The painting ended up being a bone of contention with the Stein family.   Gertrude and Leo’s brother’s wife claimed she actually bought the painting, and she may be right.   Photographs of her Paris and California homes clearly show the painting.

Surprising Sofonisha

When we think of the Italian Renassiance we think male artists, right?   

However, there were a few women who spent their time with canvas and paint……Sofonisha Anguissola is one.   She lived from 1532 to 1635 and once she was introduced to Michelangelo he immediately recognized her talent.  Eventually she would serve as a court painter for the Spanish court.

She is known for painting self and family portraits.  Later in life she would use religious themes, but sadly many of those were lost.

Her parents named her after Sophobisba….a Carthaginian noble woman who killed herself rather than falling victim to the Romans during the Punic Wars.

Though she was allowed to paint she was still unable to study anatomy or drawing from life like male painters…she was not allowed to view nudes in order to gain the knowledge she needed.  

Instead of allowing this to be a negative, Sofonisha turned it into a positive and did innovative things including new styles of portraiture, setting subjects informally.

At a time when male artists were creating large-scale religious and historical scenes Sofonisha created self-portraits and scenes with her family depicting everyday life.

For example….The Chess Game shows her sisters playing chess and includes a new element in painting….LAUGHTER!

Sofonisha Anguissola's The Chess Game

Sofonisha Anguissola's Self-Portrait at the Clavichord

Another example, shown above, includes a person in action.  This is a self-portrait at the clavichord.

Famous Art Thefts: The Last Judgment

Historians actually believe the very first art theft occurred when The Last Judgment by Hans Memling in 1473 was taken….not for the last but for the first time.

The Last Judgment is actually a triptych painting which means the painting is actually in three sections hinged together.

The painting was stolen by pirates.   Yes, real pirates.  It was on a ship headed for Florence  when the pirates took the ship, and they ended up with the painting.

The pirates took Memling’s work to a cathedral in Gdansk, Poland and believe it or not…..it’s still there – in the National Museum.

It’s a little surprising anyone would want to keep it.   The painting IS a little scary, isn’t it?

The Museum’s website states Angelo Tani, head of the Bruges branch of Medici’s bank commissioned the painting in 1465 for a church in Florence… Badia Fiesolana, but it never hung there since the painting was taken by pirates and eventually hung in St. Mary’s Church.

Later the painting was connected with the name van Eyck and over the centuries other painters from the Netherlands were thought to have painted The Last Judgement.   It wasn’t finally attributed to Memling until 1843.

From the 1700s forward the painting was caught up in various wars.  During the Northern War (1716-1717) Russian tsar Peter the Great demanded the painting as part of the reparations imposed on Gdansk.   In 1807, Napoleon’s army occupied Gdansk and took the painting to Paris where it was incorrectly identified it as a van Eyck.  

After Napoleon’s fall the Prussians took the painting to Berlin before it was returned to Gdansk where it eventually wound up in St. Reynaud’s Chapel.

Fortunately, The Last Judgment survived World War II though many works of art did not.   Initially the painting was found by the Soviet Army.  They took the painting to Lenningrad’s Hermitage as a war trophy.  On September 22, 1956 The Last Judgment was returned to Gdansk together with other artwork from the Gdansk Musem.