Displaying items by tag: the smithsonian

One of the most famous portraits of George Washington will soon get a high-tech examination and face-lift of sorts with its first major conservation treatment in decades.

The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery has begun planning the conservation and digital analysis of the full-length "Lansdowne" portrait of the first president that was painted by Gilbert Stuart in 1796, museum officials told The Associated Press. The 8-foot-by-5-foot picture is considered the definitive portrait of Washington as president after earlier images in military uniform.

The Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. is currently hosting the exhibition Off the Beaten Path: Early Works by James McNeill Whistler. The show commemorates the 155^th anniversary of Whistler’s beginnings as an artist, which was sparked by a trip from Paris to the Rhineland. Before setting off on his expedition, Whistler established two goals – first, to visit Rembrandt’s home city of Amsterdam and second, to make his mark on the art world.

While he never made it to the Netherlands during his voyage, Whistler created drawings, etchings and watercolors depicting what he saw along the way. Later in his career, these early country scenes and portrayals of innkeepers and shopkeepers would go on to shape Whistler’s selection of subject matter, composition, use of light and shadow, and perspective.

Off the Beaten Path will be on view at the Freer Gallery through September 28, 2014.