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Artist:

his strikingly unconventional portrait rewards prolonged study. This is not the kind of image that can be digested in a single glance. In fact, the longer the study, the greater the reward. We are perhaps first—as painters—arrested by the highly complex and rigorously finished background. Our first instinct is to question the aggressively detailed background elements. Then, as we begin to realize the powerful message that is contained in those elements, and as we begin to relate that message to the thoughtful expression on the subject's face—the entire portrait begins to assume genuine power. This interaction between the subject and the images he knows are there behind him generates an unforgettable total impression. Secretary Webb is a portrait that eventually grips you.

It takes a highly skilled artist to combine so rich a background with his principal subject, and achieve a cohesive, meaningful result. The background elements in this painting all reflect the intensity and drama of the Viet Nam war. After we study these very sobering items, our gaze shifts to the thoughtful face of the young Secretary, who shows in his expression that he has internalized the emotions of the war (he was himself a combat marine in Viet Nam), and that those emotions are engraved on his face. The result is a dramatic and very powerful portrait.

Richard Whitney has been, for many years, one of the leaders of contemporary American portraiture. This extraordinary painting demonstrates again his mastery. Every portion of the painting rewards study; we call your attention to two areas in particular: the superlative rendering of the sculpture group at lower right, and the exquisite tonalities in the wall and moldings at lower left. J.H.S.