What do you see going on in this work of art? Is there a story depicted?

We found his pose to be interesting in comparison to other more well known portraits of Washington. He seems more lax as his form is more casual. Our eyes gravitated towards his hand as we wonder why he is digging his hand into his vest (perhaps to touch an area where he was wounded?)

What different visual elements (ie: line, color, light, proportions, scale, composition, media type etc.) do you notice, and how do they help you make sense of the artwork?

The color palettes are more darker, mimicking a lot of painting styles from the renaissance era. The physical painting is noticeably cracked as if to represent a more aged look. The oil painting along with the varnish creates a smooth finish but also covers a lot of Washington’s imperfections.

What choices do you think the museum made about the object’s display?

I definitely think that the exhibition we were exploring had a theme that centered around portraits and identity. More specifically there seems to be a focus on American history with many other paintings featuring Native Americans and British colonialism.

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