Historical Figures
Having cut my artistic teeth drawing famous people, it was natural for me to first attempt portraiture when shifting to acrylic paints. In creating faces, my rule of thumb is “the Eyes have it.” In fact, I normally paint the eyes of a subject last to ensure they reflect the persona I’ve tried to capture in the rest of the piece.
MOTHER TERESA - Mother Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, now Saint Teresa of Calcutta, was born in Albania and spent much of her life in the slums of Calcutta feeding and caring for children there. This was the first of my drawings on canvas board to which I subsequently attached transparent acetate and painted it with acrylics. This permitted me to preserve the detailed pencil sketch that underlies this, as well as most of my paintings.
NAPOLEON BONAPARTE - Product of the French Revolution, consummate military leader and Liberator of Europe, Napoleon said he could do everything with bayonets except sit on them. I created this image for a chess club at a retirement community in Silver Spring, Maryland.
MAHATMAS WITH MANDALA - Initiator of the Mass Nonviolent Demonstration Technique, that was further perfected by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and is currently being utilized to fight racism, restore our country's safety net, protect the right to vote and save the planet. He got his start in South Africa, but was most successful in driving the British from their oppressive rule in India. His peaceful approach out-maneuvered his warlike nemesis.
LEONARDO - Leonardo da Vinci, the prototype for the Renaissance Man was a master not only of art, but science, engineering, and even alchemy. This is my take on his famous self-portrait as an old man. His fascination with and close study of birds led him to build heavier than air flying machines, which flew largely as gliders. His vision of man’s pursuit of flight had to wait until the internal combustion engine was created in the mid-1800s, some 300 years after his death. The crescent moon reflects his understanding that the Moon’s phases are created by its juxtaposition to the Earth and Sun.
ALBERT EINSTEIN - His thought experiments, formulation of the General and Special Theories of Relativity and equation E=mc2 changed physics and our world forever. His callous pursuit of sexual gratification (represented by the female figure at the top of his head) lead to unending problems with women, both inside and outside his family.
GALILEO - Scientist and seeker of truth in the face of official and church opposition. This portrait contains 3 hints to his identity for anyone who is unfamiliar with his appearance. One is the Leaning Tower of Pisa (where he conducted one of his famed experiments) appears in the bridge of his nose. The others are more obvious.
JOHN F. KENNEDY - World War II PT Boat Captain, Senator from Massachusetts then President of the United States. His assassination marked an entire generation of American youth and signaled the beginning of the end of America’s unbridled optimism about its place in the World. I utilized a sponge technique for the background of this painting, using yellow ochre and gold to enhance its luster.
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YOUNG BOBBY KENNEDY - While serving as the Attorney General of the United States during his brother’s administration, Bobby’s interest in civil and human rights brought him to South Africa just as it brought me some 30 years later. His untimely death cut short a remarkable career both as a lawyer and an advocate for the rights we all should enjoy. I saw a painting of Aaron Copeland at the American Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC and tried to incorporate the golden tones used in that piece to reflect my respect for this innovative politico.
ELIE WIESEL - The World’s Witness to the Holocaust, his accounts of that period and his tenacious pursuit to emblazon it upon the minds of all people everywhere rank him as a 20th Century Icon. This painting was done early in my painting career, when embodying the emotion and persona of the subject was most pronounced.