Axios: 1 big thing: 250 years, 47 Presidencies

1 big thing: 250 years, 47 presidencies
Six vintage-style portraits arranged in a 3 by 2 grid on a beige background: top row Washington, Adams, Jefferson; bottom row Obama, Biden, Trump, sketched in pastel tones.
Portraits: Salvatore Catalano
 
America’s 250 years have been divided into 47 presidencies, served by 45 men.

A new exhibit in the lobby of Goldman Sachs’ global headquarters in Manhattan brings each presidency to life. Salvatore Catalano — who calls himself an artist, illustrator and educator — pairs a portrait of each president with a hand-lettered quote that captures the man or era.

🖌️ Why it matters: “Most Americans can’t name the presidents, much less tell you what they look like,” Catalano tells Axios’ Erica Pandey. “This was a labor of love.”

“Portraits are very important to me,” adds Catalano, who has spent decades developing a distinctive style of color, shadow and light in portraiture. “We look at a list of names, but there’s no color there. There’s no brilliance, no blood.”

💬 Zoom in: Sal, as he’s known, used quotes from each president to inspire the style of the portrait. Here’s a sampling from the first three and latest three presidents, shown above:

George Washington: “Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism.” —From the first president’s farewell address on Sept. 19, 1796.

John Adams: “To be good, and to do good, is all we have to do.” —From a letter Adams wrote to his daughter, Abigail, on March 17, 1777.

Thomas Jefferson: “Where the press is free … all is safe.” —From a letter to close friend and political ally Charles Yancey on Jan. 6, 1816.

Barack Obama: “We are the change that we seek.” —From his speech after Super Tuesday on Feb. 5, 2008.Joe Biden: “The art of living is simply getting up after you’ve been knocked down.” —From an event at the National Press Club on Aug. 1, 2007, during his 2008 candidacy.
Donald Trump: “Our golden age has just begun.” —From his second inaugural address.

🎨 “My job is to find things that nobody else knows about these people,” Catalano tells us.

“For Washington, I could have chosen something more recognizable, but this one struck me.”Photo: Goldman Sachs

🖼️ The exhibit, featuring all 47 presidential portraits, flanked by two American flags — the 13-star Betsy Ross flag on the left and today’s 50-star flag on the right — will remain on display in Goldman Sachs’ lobby through August.

After that, the portfolio will move to D.C.Share this story.

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About michelleclarke2015

Life event that changes all: Horse riding accident in Zimbabwe in 1993, a fractured skull et al including bipolar anxiety, chronic fatigue …. co-morbidities (Nietzche 'He who has the reason why can deal with any how' details my health history from 1993 to date). 17th 2017 August operation for breast cancer (no indications just an appointment came from BreastCheck through the Post). Trinity College Dublin Business Economics and Social Studies (but no degree) 1997-2003; UCD 1997/1998 night classes) essays, projects, writings. Trinity Horizon Programme 1997/98 (Centre for Women Studies Trinity College Dublin/St. Patrick's Foundation (Professor McKeon) EU Horizon funded: research study of 15 women (I was one of this group and it became the cornerstone of my journey to now 2017) over 9 mth period diagnosed with depression and their reintegration into society, with special emphasis on work, arts, further education; Notes from time at Trinity Horizon Project 1997/98; Articles written for Irishhealth.com 2003/2004; St Patricks Foundation monthly lecture notes for a specific period in time; Selection of Poetry including poems written by people I know; Quotations 1998-2017; other writings mainly with theme of social justice under the heading Citizen Journalism Ireland. Letters written to friends about life in Zimbabwe; Family history including Michael Comyn KC, my grandfather, my grandmother's family, the O'Donnellan ffrench Blake-Forsters; Moral wrong: An acrimonious divorce but the real injustice was the Catholic Church granting an annulment – you can read it and make your own judgment, I have mine. Topics I have written about include annual Brain Awareness week, Mashonaland Irish Associataion in Zimbabwe, Suicide (a life sentence to those left behind); Nostalgia: Tara Hill, Co. Meath.
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