Thursday, September 6, 2012
Favorite Piece of Art
This portrait of Martha Lucas caught my eye the first time I walked into the library when I visited Sweet Briar. It is so different from all of the other rather stuffy portraits of the other school presidents. For one thing, the colors are pastel and summer-y, making the painting stand out. Also, The whole painting feels casual, Martha Lucas looks relaxed and the painting style isn't as strict looking as the more formal paintings.. Plus, her dog is super cute! One of the things I like most about this painting is how it makes me curious about Martha Lucas. I want to know more about her and why her portrait is so different from all of the others. These are some questions I am going to ask once I find someone who knows. Perhaps a librarian?
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Dear Savanna, You can read more about her in her inaugural address, available on the archive.org site at: http://archive.org/details/inaugurationofma00swee
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed a heartwarming portrait. My favorite is the afghan!
Thanks, Professor Rainville! I was fascinated by her speech and how relevant some of her thoughts still are. Her ideas of acceptance and using education to create harmony in the world seem so progressive for her time. It was also interesting to see how WWII and the recent development of nuclear weapons shaped her speech. Also, Dr. Brand Blandshard, who gave the speech "The Liberal College in an Expanding World," really bugged me. Whenever he talked about the liberal arts student he used the pronoun "he." Seriously? He's talking at a women's college! I guess using "he" was typical at the time, but I was still surprised he used it in this setting.
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