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ARTICLE

George Washington, Pictured

For centuries, artists have depicted the military general—in paint, in print, and in plaster. These portraits continue to give us insight into Washington’s emotional life, military presence, and cultural footprint.

By Angelica Hankins
Shown from the chest up, an older man with pale, peachy skin, wearing a high-collared black coat and a cream-white, ruffled collar, is shown against a deep wine-red background in this vertical portrait painting. His body is angled to our right and he turns his face to look at us with gray eyes under pale gray eyebrows. He has a hooked nose and jowls along his chin line. His cheeks are flushed and his lips are set in a line. His white hair flares out along the sides of his head and is tied at the nape of his neck with a ribbon loosely painted and outlined with black. His ink-black coat has silvery gray highlights along the high collar and his right shoulder, to our left. The background is painted with light brushstrokes, deepening from scarlet red around his face to black at the upper corners.
ARTICLE

A Peacemaker’s Prayer for Change in Birmingham

Joe Minter has spent more than three decades creating an environmental artwork on his property. He hopes it can heal the world’s spiritual wounds through its messages of love and connection.

By LaStarsha D. McGarity , Jenn Ackerman and Tim Gruber
INTERACTIVE ARTICLE

A New View for America’s Centennial

As the United States emerged from the Civil War, Winslow Homer spent years perfecting a painting to embody his hopes for America’s future. 

By Alex Dean
Close to us, a young man and three boys sit or recline in a small sailboat that tips to our left on a choppy dark green sea in this horizontal painting. The billowing sail extends off the top left corner of the canvas and is echoed in the background to our right by the tall sails of another ship in the distance. The horizon line comes about a third of the way up the composition, and puffy gray and white clouds sweep across the turquoise sky. The sun lights the scene from our right so the boys’ ruddy faces are in shadow under their hats. The young man and boys all face our left so they lean against and into the boat as it cants up to our right. The boy nearest the sail to our left reclines across the bow. Next to him to our right, a younger boy perches on the edge of the boat and holds on with both hands. The oldest, in a red shirt, sits on the floor of the boat as he maneuvers the sail with a rope. Closer to us and to our right, a younger boy sits with his bare feet pressed together in front of his bent knees on the back edge of the boat, gazing into the distance over his right shoulder as he handles the tiller. The artist signed and dated the painting in dark letters in the lower right corner: “HOMER 1876.”
ARTICLE

Photographing American Mining and Energy

Photographers have been documenting mining and energy extraction for nearly 200 years, revealing industrial activities often hidden from view.

By Elizabeth Fortune
ARTICLE

Seven Artists Inspired by Jazz 

Learn how some of your favorite artists found inspiration from jazz music and listen to tunes behind their works. 

By Annie Yi
The image features a person with their upper body visible and slightly turned to the side. Their face is tilted upwards, and their mouth is open wide, displaying their teeth. The person's facial features are partially obscured due to low light. Their hair is short, and they are wearing earrings. They are dressed in a dark halter-top that reveals their shoulders, and they have a pendant necklace. The rest of the image is dark with little visible detail.