Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Keep George in the Buff!

 We all know our school’s namesake was a fashionable guy but to keep our leader standing tall in University Yard, we have got to stop dressing him up! The bronze sculpture in U-Yard comes from an original marble statue by Jean-Antoine Houdon in the 18th century that can be found in the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond. This is the only full-length portrait of our first president to be created while he was alive, and is suggested to be George’s truest likeness.

Our George has been with us for over 50 years, and while he looks great in most t-shirts, hats, and sunglasses, we ask that he remains in his traditional Revolutionary War uniform. Excess clothing on George removes the patina from the bronze sculpture. Patina, meaning “shallow dish” in Latin, is a tarnish that forms on the surface of bronze and other metals that protects the metal against corrosion. If the patina is disrupted overtime, it can flake off altogether! That means if George is continually sporting your Colonials gear, there may no longer be a George. So save your Buff and Blue to show off your own spirit, and keep George in the buff!

-R. Milkovich

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Covering exhibits at the Luther W. Brady Art Gallery and giving you a peek into the Permanent Collection of the George Washington University.

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Howard Hodgkin: Paintings - May 16, 2012

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Keep George in the Buff!

 We all know our school’s namesake was a fashionable guy but to keep our leader standing tall in University Yard, we have got to stop dressing him up! The bronze sculpture in U-Yard comes from an original marble statue by Jean-Antoine Houdon in the 18th century that can be found in the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond. This is the only full-length portrait of our first president to be created while he was alive, and is suggested to be George’s truest likeness.

Our George has been with us for over 50 years, and while he looks great in most t-shirts, hats, and sunglasses, we ask that he remains in his traditional Revolutionary War uniform. Excess clothing on George removes the patina from the bronze sculpture. Patina, meaning “shallow dish” in Latin, is a tarnish that forms on the surface of bronze and other metals that protects the metal against corrosion. If the patina is disrupted overtime, it can flake off altogether! That means if George is continually sporting your Colonials gear, there may no longer be a George. So save your Buff and Blue to show off your own spirit, and keep George in the buff!

-R. Milkovich

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Washington, District of Columbia, United States
"Found In Collection" or simply "FIC" is the way many museums classify the more mysterious items in their possession that have little or no documentation. Here at the Luther W. Brady Art Gallery of the George Washington University, we do keep extensive records of our collection, but some of the items we come across in academic buildings or our own storage can leave us wondering. This blog is an effort to showcase some of the more curious examples and their stories, and to provide a glimpse of the great variety of art pieces within the collection. To learn more about the Brady Gallery's history, recent exhibitions, or the George Washington University, take a look at the links below.

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