It's not only about the American Revolution, Leutze's Washington Crossing the Delaware

[@castrochristian103]

I'm doing a research project on this painting and honestly this was an amazing description that really had me locked in on what was being said. Truly appreciate everyone efforts to make this possible.

[@richkline1786]

You also may want to reference American Heritage, December 1964. In an article called Why Washington Stood Up in the Boat by George F. Scheer, protege Worthington Whittredge, an Ohio farm boy, was with Leutze when he did the painting. He explains the process Leutze used to complete the painting.

[@pneumaticman5927]

Thank you for this. Beautifully done. The tone of the commentators was properly reverential. Good to hear Kevin McCarthy talk about this today. Wonderful work.

[@mindreader]

Thanks to this dreadful plague I was able to catch up on your educational, excellent, and moving videos. Thank you for your work. Stay safe and healthy.

[@magicknight13]

This is essential for any art historian student !! Thank you so much!

[@bluewolvesstudios2822]

I used to work Security at the Met for 5 years and to this day, this is still my most favorite painting. Even the theme itself tells so many stories

[@ajmittendorf]

Washington, in this painting, shows the face in profile, but the shoulders seem almost face-on toward the viewer, like Egyptian art when they show Pharoah, he is also positioned in such a way: head and shoulders above everyone else, both shoulders to the viewer but the face in profile. All it's missing is the full, oval eye.

[@LBGirl1988]

Thrilled to see this every time I visit the Met. Always have! Now thanks to ancestry databases, I know that there is an excellent chance that two of my ancestors were on one of those boats. But would love this picture without a possible familial connection. Thank you to the Met for making this treasure available for us all.

[@Sasha0927]

I'd been flirting with a history dork - specializing in NY / Bronx history - and it's put the subject of (US) history even more on my map than it had been previously. I've thought a lot about why / the extent to which it's important to learn about... It made me regret not going through Crash Course's history playlists and I'm motivated to do that soon. As for this piece, I was immediately impressed by the scale of it and intrigued by this different approach Dr. Harris mentioned.. I had to laugh when Dr. Zucker pointed it out - "Couldn't be in my house! So why?" I didn't stop to wonder why. By now I've seen so many incredible, massive pieces that it makes sense, when an artist decides to, to create on this scale. I can't imagine having the talent or patience required to do this with a mere paintbrush, but that makes it more powerful in a way. The note about Washington being so resolute that "the cold passes over him" resonated with me. I am to do that mentally as I continue to pursue my goals. I can go through life's difficulties without suffering while staying focused on what matters. Very BAMF energy, lol. I want to be reminded of more valuable lessons like this from those who've gone before: "...how revolutions are made up of people of different backgrounds coming together to fight for a single cause." Yes, like this one. 🔥🔥🔥 I loved the inquisitive way this analysis was done. It was so interesting and there was much to learn as always. Can't wait to sink my teeth into world - then US - history too.

[@huntrrams]

Thanks for this! Really interesting observations!

[@_BSH_1971]

This was a great video to watch, and learn about different perspectives.

[@Pat14922]

Thanks. Enjoyed that. I'd seen the picture hundreds of times, but never thought past the "God like" Washington figure.

[@jshous]

"A cold January day" ? It was Dec 25, 1776.

[@smarthistory-art-history]

You misunderstood what was said. Beth stated that the day we recorded this, it was a cold January day, and so she felt immediate empathy for the cold being felt by the figures in the painting.

[@ajmittendorf]

Sharing to Facebook.

[@davidfersaj]

Impressive!

[@danthiel8623]

fascinating

[@ABtheButterfly]

That's not even the orginal it's a copy, Emanuel Leutze made three Geroge Washington crossing the Delaware painting the original and two copies the orginal was in Germany and got destroyed in 1942 during WW2 and the two copies are in America

[@smarthistory-art-history]

We discuss this in the video. What is more interesting to me is the fact that in the 19th century, there was less preoccupation with the sanctity of the original. This is very much a concern of the 20th century and one that continues to impact the way we see art.

[@DavidJGillCA]

Fascinating. But if the copy is by the original artist there is little reason to disregard it. Gilbert Stuart painted three more copies of his Lansdowne portrait of Washington. The most important of all four versions may be the White House copy saved by Dolly Madison.