Portrait of Governor and Mrs. Thomas Mifflin (After John Singleton Copley)
Artist
John Clem Clarke
(American, 1937 - 2021)
Date1969
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsOverall: 112 x 86 in. (284.5 x 218.4 cm)
ClassificationsModern art
Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
Object number81.14
Terms
- Man
- Woman
- Thomas Mifflin
On View
On viewLabel TextJohn Clem Clarke American, b. 1937 Portrait of Governor and Mrs. Thomas Mifflin (After John Singleton Copley), 1969 Oil on canvas Using a projector, stencils, and sponge painting, Pop artist John Clem Clarke replicates historic masterpieces in a slick, simplified style. Here he starts with John Singleton Copley’s portrait of the Mifflins, a leading Philadelphia couple during the American Revolution. Clarke’s mechanically aided process creates a flat, oversized echo of the original 1773 work, suggesting that reproduction has transformed such icons into a familiar visual code. This painting raises the question: What features make Copley’s Portrait of Miles Sherbrook (in the next gallery) a meaningful work of art? Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 81.14
Pair/Pair
