Governor Wilber M. Brucker
(1931-1933)

c. 1946
Painted by Roy C. Gamble
Oil on Canvas

In this portrait, Governor Wilber Brucker is set against a simplified background and pictured pointing at a stack of documents on his desk. The governor looks directly out at the viewer, and he has more paperwork tucked under his right arm. It is as if Brucker is sending his audience a message about where his priorities lie: with his work, and the responsibilities that come with his executive position. A large Michigan flag is positioned behind the man, the only element present in the background aside from the governor’s desk. The choice to include so few items in this painting helps Gamble to direct the viewer’s eye towards the sitter, allowing for Brucker’s identity to be the main focus of the piece.

Gamble paints in an expressionistic style, leaving behind many loose, visible brushstrokes. These are particularly prominent in the background and the desk, but they are made tighter and more controlled in Brucker’s face and hands. This allows for Gamble to accurately capture the governor’s likeness, while also expressing more emotion in the other areas of the portrait. Like many artists in the early 20th century, Gamble communicates the uneasiness of the time – in this case, the beginnings of the Great Depression in America – through the loose, less controlled brushstrokes in his work.