“In Praise Of The Constitution”

“In Praise Of The Constitution” is a rebuttal drawing to the Kehinde Wiley portrait of Barack Obama that is currently on permanent display in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. It is also an artistic and political commentary on our previous national executive.

As contemporary pieces, the artist Jack Nixon feels the present static and casually postured oils by Wiley and Amy Sherald do not transmit the kind of intense energy and simple nobility both he and Michelle project as a couple. As interesting as the oversized pieces are in our nation’s capitol, for this work, Mr. Nixon chose to present our 44th president in a powerful upright and statuesque stance (that symbolizes a towering intellect) exuding a stoic, relaxed aura that is stately - almost regal - in character.

Great portraiture usually conveys symbolism in one form or another. For Elizabeth I of England (1533-1603), pearls hint of purity in her many portraits. Images of eyes and ears sown into her gown speak of being all-seeing and all-knowing. But some works need no symbolism. The famous photograph of Winston Churchill staring into the camera with a fierce frown is all we need to see (the glaring look cutting right through us), being a testament of his indomitable strength and resolution.

Mr. Nixon has placed former President Obama in the Oval Office holding a book of the Constitution, with the portrait’s main prop being a faux antique globe that just oozes history. But that history, to be perfectly honest, is not a kind one. And that unkindness (as gross understatement) is the Middle Passage gulf between freedom and slavery called the Atlantic Ocean. That careful and deliberate world positioning with compass rose (of “True North” (Jack’s informal title)) is the main visual component standing next to the presidential figure. Other notable symbols are an 1862 engraving of Abraham Lincoln musing on the bust of George Washington; bookends of Martin Luther King; and volumes of laws and accomplishments produced during the president’s two successful terms (Ranking 10th in the most recent C-Span poll of 800 historians.).

The title of the drawing is meant to describe a care-taking civic outlook that is bigger than the office and the man - that is bigger than any man. Because we are a nation of laws, not of men. And no one should understand that better than the leader of our country. That stable written foundation along with our national institutions were meant to help protect us from tyrannical rule - which was our Founding Father’s greatest fear. That elemental political stability and unruptured continuance of progress is what the original Framers and the Constitution have given us. Mediums: graphite, charcoal, chalk, and pastel on paper. 67 x 42"

“Of Service To The Nation”

Pictured in the White House Vermeil Room, First Lady Michelle Obama is seen in her finest evening gown, holding a cameo of Sojourner Truth (Isabella Baumfree, an African American evangelist, abolitionist, women’s rights activist, and author who was born into slavery in New York before escaping to freedom in 1826.). Titled “Of Service To The Nation,” this drawing is a continuation of the presidential narrative of respectfully remembering and honoring the past by singling out an important figure in America’s struggle and evolution for racial and gender equality. Mediums: graphite, charcoal, chalk, and pastel on paper. 67 x 42"

“The Heart And Strength Of America”

With the most votes cast in an American national election, and the most votes ever won, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was elected the 46th President of the United States in November of 2020 after serving as Vice President under Barack Obama. The Biden / Harris campaign again made history with Kamala Harris being elected as the first woman Vice President.

With unwavering focus, faith, and humility, our new chief executive is uniquely positioned to bring together and heal a deeply divided nation. But almost more importantly than those traits, the new president’s experience and competence is indispensable in tackling the monumental national, international, and environmental problems we have inherited.

Reminiscent of Theodore Roosevelt’s famous motto, “Speak softly and carry a big stick,” the artist has chosen to depict the current president with his hand over his heart, Pledging Allegiance in front of the American, State Department, and armed forces flags. It is an iconic and hopeful vision of a righteous strength of character wisely balancing judicial application of diplomatic and military power essential for our country’s success - of his good governance in efficiently meeting the needs of the country, safeguarding us with both empathy and arms.

The fifth drawing in this series will be that of the president’s wife, First Lady Jill Biden, who is a teaching academic. Mrs. Biden has bachelor and doctoral degrees from the University of Delaware, as well as master's degrees from West Chester University and Villanova University. The First Lady taught English and reading in high schools for thirteen years and instructed adolescents with emotional disabilities.

The First Lady’s drawing will depict her holding cap and gown at podium before delivering a commencement speech, which she often gives. Her drawing may be titled, “Education, Science, and Truth is Freedom.”

The sixth and final drawing of this life-size, full-length series would be that of Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, if Kamala wins the presidency in the coming years. Then the three pairs of drawings of these three presidential couples will be complete.

“A New Generation Of Leadership”

The United States of America is nearly 245 years old, and Kamala Harris made history when she became the first woman, and the first woman of color, to become Vice President of the nation.

The daughter of immigrants from India and Jamaica said in her first national address on November 7th, “While I may be the first woman in this office, I won’t be the last. Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.”

Representation matters, impacting our lives, because it helps break down stereotypes and biases about what a leader looks like and who a leader is, seeing different types of leaders pave the way for more diverse, equitable, and inclusive opportunity for others.

This drawing is a celebration of the American people’s choice for that diversity, memorializing her position of being a heartbeat away from the presidency - the most powerful executive job on earth.

The artist has chosen to place Ms. Harris in the Oval Office, standing in front of the Desk of Resolution. This juxtaposition to President Biden’s temporarily borrowed, historic piece of red oak furniture is a bold and aggressive one, possibly foreshadowing Kamala Harris’ future role as chief executive (That would allow her to formally stand and sit behind the desk.). But that placement is a calculated risk for the artist since he has hopefully lessened any confusion by adding within Kamala’s hands another historic item which is the senate’s ivory gavel - the small but powerful symbol of the President of the Senate, which is the dual office of the Vice President.

The Resolute Desk was a particularly difficult object to reproduce since there are few closeup photographs of the piece that allowed the artist to capture and display the desk’s finely carved details. It took over two months to find the half dozen internet photos; piece them together in correct perspective; trace the details; then illustrate the desk’s exquisite frontage in the grand fashion that it deserves.

Built from the timbers of the British Arctic exploration ship HMS Resolute, the Resolute Desk was a gift from Queen Victoria to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880. The center panel with eagle was designed and carved for FDR in 1945 to cover his wheel chair.

ARTIST STATEMENT (for my architectural drawings)

America has a poor record of architectural preservation. The preeminence of commerce over and the destruction of our environment may be an imbalanced and sometimes uneducated evil. But the lack of interest in saving our built, urban treasures from demolition is also due to lack of education and the ignorance that architectural masterpieces standing within our aging infrastructure even exist.

Architecture is the art that defines our sensibilities more than any other form of visual expression. Natural materials and elements of craftsmanship in ornament bring warmth and value to our urban surroundings. In the last six decades, an intensified interest in the preservation of our natural environment has evoked a broader understanding of environmental quality: environment is both natural and man-made.

This expanded concept of environment is a recognition that buildings and neighborhoods should be preserved for reasons that go beyond historic or architectural significance. A sense of place and cultural continuity are increasingly accepted as genuine needs in American society. Equally widespread is the growing recognition that "quality of life" is intimately related to hospitable surroundings- in terms of scale, texture, and design of place. As we build structures of glass and steel that have few elements to celebrate our own humanity, we have grown to appreciate older buildings that relate more to us.

When magnificent buildings like the old Chicago Mercantile Exchange or the old Stock Exchange are demolished, the public simply shrugs its shoulders and sighs, bemoaning the loss after the fact as “the march of progress.” It takes the death of photographer Richard Nickel, salvaging remnants of the old Stock Exchange in 1972, for the public to realize the loss of a significant piece of their architectural heritage - only to see those remnants being displayed decades later in and on the grounds of the Art Institute.

My large and intimate graphite drawings allows our 19th and early 20th century architecture and sculpture to impress in museum and art center exhibition, educating the public to our stone and terra cotta faced, built environment. Finely documenting Chicago as Giambattista Piranesi and the Beaux-Arts classicists portrayed Roman and Greek ruins centuries ago, I am an admirer who appreciates and highlights the creative efforts of the heroes of our past who designed the beautiful places and spaces we see and currently inhabit.

BIOGRAPHY

A native-born Chicagoan, Jack Nixon graduated from New Trier East High School in Winnetka, Illinois. Finding his creative talents early while at New Trier, he excelled in history, art, and technical, architectural, and engineering drawing. Jack developed formal composition and the aesthetics of positive and negative space at the Cleveland Institute of Art, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Graphic Design Communication. Shortly afterwards, he receiving two national design and calligraphy awards from Communication Arts Magazine in San Francisco while helping found the first non-profit Cleveland Recycling Center.

Upon his return to Chicago, participating in the recycling of reusable building materials and architectural remnants while learning of the young, unconventional exploits and the tragic death of photographer Richard Nickel, Nixon began to notice the serious pride and appreciation his fellow Illinoisans had for their area's architecture, particularly that of Daniel Burnham, Louis Sullivan, and Frank Lloyd Wright. Not having perceived Chicago's architecture in his youth, books Jack read and lectures and walking tours he participated in around the Loop and along the Chicago River revealed its heritage and historical significance for the first time. Many coffee table books, post cards, and other gifts and memorabilia of architectural photography were being sold on Michigan Avenue, as was art composed in water color, pen & ink, and oils in the River North's SuHu art district.

But something was missing in the fine art of the older buildings he loved to walk past and study in Chicago's central business district. Mr. Nixon realized the contemporary art did not complement their excellent craftsmanship, contrary to old, intricate, and intimate European architectural prints he had seen in his college research. The vast majority of modern artistic interpretation was too impressionist to capture their refined elegance. The warmth and human qualities of the beautiful stone and terra cotta embellishment of low reliefs were being lost in the art of general street scenes, while richly detailed, framed architectural prints and maps of European cities were hanging in corporate offices and retail shops all over town?

Prints of old European engravings and etchings were filling a void in the art market that should have been filled with ornamental prints of Chicago. Either no one had taken advantage of the opportunity to supply the public these sophisticated graphics or no one had realized the art market's need. But what brought his blood to boil and moved him to create the work he has continued for almost forty years was the announcement of the future demolition of the old Chicago Merchantile Exchange Building in the west Loop and another beautiful, old "background" graystone with large arched windows along North Michigan Avenue that would make way for a new international style department store.

Inspired by history's great masters, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1419); Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528); Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675); the 18th century Italian illustrator and printmaker Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778); the beautiful French engravings of the multi-volume architectural antiquities Description de l'Egypte (1809-1829) of its ancient ruins shortly after Napoleon's Armée d'Orient withdrawal from the middle east; the imaginative mid 19th century École des Beaux-Arts watercolor and gouache reconstructions of ancient Roman and Greek temples; and John James Audubon, Jack Nixon saw the potential for new, high quality architectural graphics of Chicago's and America's historic buildings, monuments, and ornamental decoration that could rival the golden era of etchings and engravings of ancient Rome, Athens, and Saqqara.

With a unique vision and the expressive and technical power to convey that vision to the viewer, seducing the general public in a splendid array of subtle shading and rich detail, in 1987 Mr. Nixon began to produce a series of master, oversized original graphite drawings called: "CLASSIC CHICAGO: THE ART OF ARCHITECTURE."

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Jack Nixon Nixon Design Studio 835 15th Street, Wilmette, IL 60091 jacknds@cs.com (773) 320-2841