Henry Bacon’s Lincoln Memorial delivers a theatrical synergy between art and architecture. The terrace walls and lower steps comprise granite blocks from Massachusetts – the upper steps, exterior facade, and columns contain marble blocks from Colorado – the interior walls and columns are Indiana limestone – the floor is pink Tennessee marble – the ceiling tiles are Alabama marble – and the Lincoln statue comprises 28 pieces of Georgia marble.

This harmony was intentional… even the materials echo the ideals of Abraham Lincoln, one of America’s great Presidents.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2ey0u0_lincoln-memorial-painting-by-borbay_creation

While creating this piece, I carefully considered the foundation — the words and images, like the variety of stones, are focused on the subject. If you’d like to see the entire piece come together in 90 seconds, please watch this video. A big thank you to Kuf Knotz for the spectacular soundtrack.

The collage map… it takes a good deal of time to select, trim, and paste the materials… this is the foundation.

Kicking things off with negative space… The images include the Capitol, two Lincoln’s, Daniel-Day Lewis as Lincoln, the six Iwo Jima Flag raisers, Martin Luther King, Jr., the White House and Henry Fonda as Young Mr. Lincoln. The way he is, the way he is portrayed, where he served and what he stood for.

Underpainting… an orange wash over the words, and a rich, out-of-the tube cadmium red for the seated, but not sitting President.

I decided, somewhat atypically, to approach the background first… instead of a stark field of grey, I went for a mix of red, blue, green and white… emphasis on the blue.

Painting around the words requires the most time… as I’ve gotten older and come to realize my unavoidable Virgo-osity, it’s all done with a size 1 brush.

Working the text within the shadows first… I went for a greater contrast to portray a sense of space between Lincoln and the wall.

Each subsequent tone was mixed with a sky blue to create more spatial relation.

Background completed. And now… on to the main event.

Highlights first, another atypical approach… however, this is unlike any painting I’ve done… it’s both a portrait and a landscape.

Working sensitive mixes of tones… again, a payne’s grey mixed from RGB and white.

At this stage, several people suggested the painting was done… I enjoy the red, but my vision included digging as deeply as possible into the visage of our 16th President.

Reds gone save for the sole of his shoes… no, I wasn’t out to rip Louboutin’s famous trademark…

Rather I was waiting for the shadows… all-in, Lincoln was created from nine different shades.

And here is the Lincoln Memorial, a collage-painting, based on a photograph of a sculpture of Abraham Lincoln. I loved creating this painting, and I hope you enjoy living with it Jonathan and Sarah — thank you.

Here is a closer look.