A Year of History

Here's a detail from a commissioned oil painting I just finished. It's titled, "Common Sense" as a reference to what the Continental Soldier is studying so intently (yeah, I know, very creative title). To understand the world that soldier lived in, we are still studying that document today.

For me, the study of a particular historical period has always had a spreading, or creeping, effect. To understand a moment in time, you must have an understanding of what happened before it and eventually you will get curious about what happened after it. For instance, in the past I have given some friends and family a brief tour of the Gettysburg battlefield and I always start the talk with the Battle of Chancellorsville. It's the set-up event. That Northern loss gets Hooker fired and gives Lee the confidence to invade the northern states. See what I mean? Then, when I'm done with the tour, folks will always ask, "Well, what happened after the battle?". Has anyone else noticed this besides me? If you're not careful, the creep effect will get you going around in circles.

Well, there's one person who isn't going to get dizzy studying American history. Susan. She's decided to spend a year studying American history from beginning to end. Her blog is appropriately called "American History in One Year." It seems rare that a person would suddenly realise that they know little about the history of their own country and then decide to do something about it. But that's just what she's doing. She's also smart enough to know that American history starts well before 1776. I mean, how can you get a grip on what led the colonists to revolt if you don't understand that they had already lived in America for generations and were starting to feel less and less like Britton's each year? See that? There I go again, creeping back.

Ok, so creep back to Susan's blog every once in a while and be sure and leave a comment. History geeks love to share their knowledge, so help out a budding geekette! Plus, it's well written and informative so you might learn something yourself. I know I have. For easy reference, I've added her blog to my links section. Enjoy!

HBO's John Adams

Like many history geeks, I was glued to the TV last night for the beginning of the new HBO series, John Adams. It inspired me to do another mini gouache painting this afternoon. I think it came out somewhere between Paul Giamatti and the real John Adams, but it did get me contemplating the role he played in American history. First, a little commentary about the show.

Who would have thought that the goofy, sadsack from Sideways would make a credible John Adams? Not me. So far, he's making it work though. The subtle jokes and sly smiles he shares with Laura Linney (as Abigail) are a tribute to the Adams' famous love affair. History hardly knows such a devoted couple and that element is vital to the story. From a visual standpoint, Mr. Giamatti is doing the best with what he has. There is little real resemblance facially, but he seems to be bringing out the man's character in a believable fashion.

There is an overall gritty realism to this series - from the sets to the clothing - that is the mark of a Tom Hanks directed historical piece. You can almost smell the people and places. The details are all there to delight even the most discerning history geek! I was particularly interested in how they would portray the Boston Massacre. So much conjecture surrounds that incident it seems almost impossible to get it correctly on the screen. Seeing only the aftermath, as Adams did, gives more drama to the trial scenes where Adams defends the British soldiers. The audience isn't tainted by seeing the event so they have to listen to the arguments. Brilliant. It was a defining moment of the man's life so it had be done right....and it was.

I can't wait to watch the rest of this series, I must admit. From the looks of things, they will show that it is possible to portray history accurately and dramatically too. As for John Adams' life, why don't you check out the show, or better yet, read the book that inspired it. John McCullough's biography reads like a novel.

History as entertainment, what a revolutionary concept.

Art and History....or History Meets the Arts

We often think of history in terms of books. The written word. After all, that's how man records his history right? True, but there is also a genre of historians that use a brush, a pencil or chisel to record past events on a more emotional level. They call themselves Historical Artists.

By the way, to the left is my mini-illustration (4"x4", gouache) of Alfred Waud at Gettysburg. He was a war correspondent who used a sketch pad instead of a notepad. He's a whole blog entry by himself, but I thought it was a relevant image. Ok, maybe it's not, but let's not over think it.

Keith Rocco, a modern practitioner of historical art, gave a nice presentation at a recent show about the historic historical artists (that wasn't a typo). Folks like Howard Pyle, Fredrick Remington, Edouard Detaille, and Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier to name a few. There are many, many more. In future posts, I'll pick a few out for a closer look but they all had the ability to bring history to life and produce a direct emotional response without text. Historical art is of necessity, also realist art. Some are more painterly in their approach while others are more photographic. All forms require accomplished draftsmanship, composition and color sense. Those are hard enough to master. They must also be historians. They must know period dress and customs. They must also have thick skins because there is always one smart-ass in the crowd that will spot the one minor inaccuracy! (we all know these types, don't we? damn stitch-counters!).

History is my muse too. Recently I've become involved in one of the few events that brings together many of the modern historical artists to one place. History Meets the Arts (the website will be up by the end of the week) will take place April 18-20 this year in Gettysburg, PA. If you've never been, this is sensory overload for a history geek! Whatever your period of interest is, there's someone there who paints or sculpts it. Each participating gallery will sponsor a number of artists who will be on hand to meet and greet the public. Take advantage of it. It's one rare occasion where you can yak all you want about history and no one will roll their eyes and sigh. That is, until you point out that the Umpteenth Umptyfratz Regiment never actually wore the green plaid trousers and the artist should have made them blue. Nobody wants to hear that.

So, when art and history cross paths in April, be there. Can you hear the muse? I know you can.

Follow her to Gettysburg. See you there.

Here's the gallery line-up:

American Historical Art (where some of my work will be...I know, big deal)

The Brafferton Inn

Dale Gallon Art

Gettysburg Frame Shop

Gettysburg Gift Center

Lord Nelson's Gallery

Just Jennifer's