Have you ever been to an art museum? When you were there, did you realized that you do not know any history about your home state? Well, that is where I was about two weeks ago. Museums have artifacts from all over the world, but they mostly have a common theme. The museum I went to was at Iowa State University called the Brunnier Art Museum. The museum is located in the Scheman Building on campus. They have art pieces that deal with the history of Iowa and Iowa State University. Iowa State’s Mission Statement is about sharing knowledge to make Iowa and the world a better place. That is what the museums on campus are for, to share knowledge with the viewers. Everyone needs to know the history of where they grew up or where they are living. The Portrait of John Brown is an art piece that helped me learn a lot about my state. The piece I am going to talk about in my paper is the Portrait of John Brown.
John Brown had a history in Iowa. I remember talking about Brown in history class, but my teacher left out one detail. My teacher left out that Brown was actually in Iowa for a part of his life. Brown came to Iowa to recruit followers that agreed with his beliefs to fight with him. He was in Iowa to recruit people, gather weapons, and prepare for his plan. Brown, also, let enslaved people across Iowa. He believed that slavery should be entirely abolished, by whatever means necessary. This belief of his is a crucial part of understanding the portrait and the feeling Wetherby, the artist, was trying to portray.
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Wetherby, the painter, has a connection with Iowa too. Wetherby was a painter and photographer. He opened a photography studio in Iowa City in 1854 (Brunnier Museum). You may be thinking, how are Brown and Wetherby connected. Well, the answer is through slavery. Wetherby believed that slavery should not extend into new territories. While Brown took a more forceful approach to get his beliefs through which Wetherby pictured in the portrait.
The Portrait of John Brown stood out to me because of the details the artist added to represent Brown as a person. The artist of this painting reveals the intensity of Brown while still reflecting on his skills as a painter. The artist of this painting is Isaac Augustus Wetherby. In the painting, the first thing I noticed was that Brown is pictured holding a gun. The gun stands out because of the contrast of Brown’s hands with the darkness of the gun. Another thing that Wetherby added is
Figure 1. “Portrait of John Brown”
Source: Brunnier Museum a house burning in the background. These aspects represent the intensity of Brown because of his actions. John Brown “lit the fuse” for the Civil War after he seized the United States arsenal at Harpers Ferry. Brown is known for his violent acts to get his point a crossed about slavery. That is why Wetherby wanted to show this side of Brown. This painting shows Brown’s connection to history with simple details within the painting. That is why this portrait stood out to me compared to the others.
This portrait was one of my favorites located at the museum. It was different than all of the other portraits and it stood out compared to them. Wetherby used his style and the personality of Brown to paint this portrait. The Brunnier Museum has a lot of art that shows the history of Iowa. The Portrait of John Brown is a piece that needs to be seen in person to get the whole effect on the atmosphere it creates while looking at it.
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