Portrait of Governor and Mrs. Thomas Mifflin (After John Singleton Copley)
Artist
John Clem Clarke
(American, 1937 - 2021)
CultureAmerican
Date1969
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsOverall: 112 x 86 in. (284.5 x 218.4 cm)
Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
Object number81.14
On View
Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 208
Label 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
