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| The portrait of the Engelhard parrot Jacob by Aaron Shikler. |
Noted portrait artist Aaron Shikler, born 1922, was a personal friend of Charles and Jane Englehard who were profiled in my June 6, 2011, post
here with some of the contents from their house Cragwood featured in my June 21, 2011, post
here. The portrait of Sister Parish with her dog Yummy in the previous post of The Devoted Classicist reminded me of the portrait I admired so much of the Engelhard's parrot, Jacob. While Jacob's portrait was included in the sale of the contents of Cragwood, the Shikler portrait of Mrs. Engelhard was not. Beginning with a 1959 breakthrough commission, Jane Engelhard became a major patron of Shikler, eventually commissioning the Lady Bird portrait, one of Mike Mansfield for the U.S. Senate, and another of the Duchess of Windsor, among others.
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| Portrait of Mrs. Charles W. Engelhard, Jr. by Aaron Shikler. |
Aaron Shikler studied at The Barnes Foundation in Marion, Pennsylvania and at the Tyler School of Art, Temple University in Philadelphia with a stint in Europe between serving as a map-maker during WWII. Returning to New York in 1949, he worked in the studio of Hans Hoffman, the Abstract Expressionist.
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| Portrait of John Kennedy, Jr., by Aaron Shikler. |
Whether the recommendation came through her friend Jane Engelhard is unknown, but Jacqueline Kennedy commissioned the artist to do a portrait of young Caroline and John Kennedy in 1968, followed by others of Mrs. Kennedy alone and the three together.
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| Portrait of Jacqueline Kennedy by Aaron Shikler. |
Appreciating his artistic style and ability to please the client, Mrs. Kennedy asked Shikler to paint her official White House portrait, perhaps the most memorable of all the First Lady portraits.
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| Preliminary study for official White House portrait of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy by Aaron Shikler. |
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A view of the White House Vermeil Room during the Reagan Administration showing the Aaron Shikler portrait of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy above the settee to the left.
Photo from DREAM HOUSE, THE WHITE HOUSE AS AN AMERICAN HOME by Ulysses Grant Dietz and Sam Waters, Acanthus Press, 2009. |
Shikler also painted the White House portrait of President John F. Kennedy, with Mrs. Kennedy's guidance. She stipulated that there were to be no bags under his eyes and no penetrating gaze.
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| A 1962 sketch of President John F. Kennedy by Aaron Shikler from the Engelhard collection at Cragwood. |
After producing a number of sketches for consideration, Mrs. Kennedy chose the pose with folded arms and lowered head that was adapted from a photo of Ted Kennedy in a similar stance at JFK's grave. While it was controversial as some said the unconventional pose was not appropriate for the White House setting, many have found the portrait moving.
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| The official White House portrait of President John F. Kennedy by Aaron Shikler. |
Other White House portraits for President Lyndon B. Johnson, President Ronald Reagan, and First Lady Nancy Reagan followed. A 1981 article in People magazine stated his then-current fee started at $25,000 for a head and shoulder portrait and $35,000 for for a full figure portrait. A portrait of Jordan's Queen Noor was $140,000, however. He no longer allowed input from the sitter, the story said, after an experience with the subject feeling the image was not flattering enough.
Thanks go to P. Gaye Tapp at the wonderful blog Little Augury for directing me to the blog Privilege. Shikler also painted a portrait of the blog author Lisa, her brother, and her sister which can be seen
here.
The display of portraits seems to have fallen out of favor these days in residential decoration, but do you not think there is a place for good portraits in stylish interior design?
The 2009 book Dream House, The White House as an American Home
is available for purchase at a discount from the published price and the option of free shipping through The Devoted Classicist Library by clicking here.
