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Charles Marvin Fairchild (SFS '48) Memorial
Gallery
December 3, 2004 · March 15, 2005
Home · Illustrations
Commemorating the 215 years since Congress
first met under the new U.S. Constitution,
which also coincides with the two-hundred
fifteenth anniversary of the founding
of Georgetown College, the Fairchild
Gallery has presented John W. Winkler's Drawings
for The Constitutional Convention
Of 1787 beginning in December 2004,
through March 2005.
The exhibition includes twenty-six highly accomplished
preparatory drawings, of 130 completed,
for Winkler’s
popular 1932 etching Washington Presiding
Over the Constitutional Convention in
Philadelphia, May, 1787. The etching was
commissioned by the George Washington
Memorial Association for a portfolio of
twenty etchings by several prominent
artists, in honor of the bicentennial
of Washington’s
birth in 1932.
John W. Winkler (1894-1979) was born in Vienna, and
studied at the San Francisco Institute of Art. He was
well-known for his etchings, drawings, and gold jewelry.
Primarily a landscape artist, Washington Presiding
Over the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, May,
1787 presented a compositional challenge for Winkler, which
he handled successfully. The drawings in the exhibit
reveal his careful studies of the human form, placement
of figures, ornamental details, and individual facial
characteristics of the “Founding Fathers,” assembled
into a complicated scene that emphasizes Washington’s
position of respected leadership.
The Winkler drawings were a gift to the Library in 2000
from the artist’s niece and nephew, Carol Johnson
and John Aronovici. On view with the drawings are an
original proof of Washington Presiding Over the Constitutional
Convention in Philadelphia, May, 1787, a copper etching
plate based on his studies of Benjamin Franklin, and
several letters, including one from President Herbert
Hoover to the president of the George Washington Memorial
Association. Along with George Washington, famous historical
figures featured in the exhibit include James Madison,
Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, Elbridge Gerry,
Rufus King, Gouverneur Morris, Charles Pinckney, and
Charles Thomson. On the nation’s bicentennial in
1976, Winkler’s drawings were exhibited at the
Bank of America World Headquarters in San Francisco.
Press Release:
JOHN W. WINKLER'S
DRAWINGS FOR 'THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
OF 1787' will be on view from December
3, 2004 through March 15, 2005 in the
Charles Marvin Fairchild Memorial Gallery
on the fifth floor of Georgetown University's
Lauinger Library. The Fairchild Gallery
is open 8:00 a.m. to midnight seven days
a week. (Hours may vary
during holidays and examination periods.)
Visitors to the Library must provide photo
identification. The
address is 3700 O Street NW, Washington,
D.C. 20057. The exhibition's Web site
is: <www.library.georgetown.edu/dept/speccoll/guac/winkler_04>.
JOHN W. WINKLER'S DRAWINGS FOR 'THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
OF 1787' presents twenty-six highly accomplished preparatory
drawings, of 130 completed, for the popular 1932 etching "The
Constitutional Convention of 1787," created for
a portfolio of twenty etchings by various prominent artists
commissioned by the George Washington Memorial Association
in honor of the bicentennial of Washington's birth in
1932. The artist, John W. Winkler (1894-1979), was born
in Vienna, and studied at the San Francisco Institute
of Art. He was well-known for his etchings, drawings,
and gold jewelry.
JOHN W. WINKLER'S DRAWINGS FOR 'THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
OF 1787' was a gift to the Georgetown University Library
in 2000 from the artist's niece and nephew, Carol Johnson
and John Aronovici. The drawings, and an original proof
of the etching, are being shown at Georgetown University
in commemoration of the 215 years since Congress first
met under the new U.S. Constitution, which also coincides
with the two-hundred fifteenth anniversary of the founding
of Georgetown College.
Famous historical figures featured in JOHN W. WINKLER'S
DRAWINGS FOR 'THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
OF 1787' include George Washington, James Madison, Alexander
Hamilton,
Benjamin Franklin, Elbridge Gerry, Rufus
King, Gouverneur Morris, Charles Pinckney, and Charles
Thomson. The exhibit
also includes a letter from President
Herbert Hoover to the president of the George Washington
Memorial Association.
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