George Washington's Eye

Landscape, Architecture, and Design at Mount Vernon

Inbunden, Engelska, 2012

Av Joseph Manca, Joseph (Rice University) Manca

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On the banks of the Potomac River, Mount Vernon stands, with its iconic portico boasting breathtaking views and with a landscape to rival the great gardens of Europe, as a monument to George Washington's artistic and creative efforts. More than one million people visit Mount Vernon each year-drawn to the stature and beauty of Washington's family estate. Art historian Joseph Manca systematically examines Mount Vernon-its stylistic, moral, and historical dimensions-offering a complete picture of this national treasure and the man behind its enduring design. Manca brings to light a Washington deeply influenced by his wide travels in colonial America, with a broader architectural knowledge than previously suspected, and with a philosophy that informed his aesthetic sensibility. Washington believed that design choices and personal character mesh to form an ethic of virtue and fulfillment and that art is inextricably linked with moral and social concerns. Manca examines how these ideas shaped the material culture of Mount Vernon.Based on careful study of Washington's personal diaries and correspondence and on the lively accounts of visitors to his estate, this richly illustrated book introduces a George Washington unfamiliar to many readers-an avid art collector, amateur architect, and leading landscape designer of his time.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2012-10-27
Mått216 x 254 x 25 mm
Vikt1 225 g
FormatInbunden
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor344
FörlagJohns Hopkins University Press
ISBN9781421404325
UtmärkelserWinner of John Brinckerhoff Jackson Book Prize 2014 (United States)

Tillhör följande kategorier

Preface1. George Washington: Morality and the Crafting of Self2. The Mansion House at Mount Vernon and Other Architectural Designs3. George Washington's Portico4. Washington as Gardener: Creating the Landscape5. Mount Vernon and British Gardening6. Prospects, Pictures, and the Picturesque7. Washington as Artist, Critic, Patron, and Collector8. Under His Vine and Fig TreeBiblical and Classical Perfection at Mount VernonEpilogueNotesIndex

A comprehensive and well-illustrated history of Washington's estate. -- Jay Strafford Richmond Times-Dispatch Manca convincingly argues that George Washington, the 'indispensable man,' was indispensable to American art, too. -- Bob Duggan Big Think.com George Washington's Eye not only sheds light on the first president's keen interest in architecture, landscape gardening, and art collecting but also illuminates his learning process... Those who seek to understand Washington by exploring Mount Vernon will find this book informative and fascinating. -- Stuart Leibiger Journal of American History More inclusive than any previous study of Mount Vernon's architecture, decorative arts, or immediate landscape, [ George Washington's Eye] looks at the physical evidence as well as Washington's writings about art and taste... The book is, therefore, a comprehensive study of Washington's aesthetic choices, from their origins to the objects in which they resulted. While other scholars have catalogued the paintings in Mount Vernon, for example, Manca goes further to consider why Washington hung certain pictures in particular rooms or chose not to display others at all. -- Lydia Mattice Brandt Common-Place This work makes many key contributions to the study of Washington's life and activities. -- Emily Cooperman Winterthur Portfolio