Governor Fred Green
(1927-1931)

1931
Painted by Robert W. Grafton
Oil on Canvas

This painting of Governor Fred W. Green is one of few outdoor portraits in the collection. Green stands before a body of water, surrounded by vegetation and dressed for a hunt. He is flanked by his two hunting dogs and holds a rifle under his right arm. Green looks directly out at the viewer; though his gaze is sharp, it remains friendly. The governor is painted realistically, though his clothing is rendered in a painterly fashion that exposes visible brushstrokes and areas of layered paint. Similarly, the fur of Green’s two dogs heavily reveals the artist’s hand: the coat of the animal to the governor’s left is created using layers of loose brushstrokes while that of the dog laying to his right has a smooth, blended appearance and incorporates red and blue tones. Grafton’s choice to include dogs in a formal gubernatorial portrait may relate, in part, to the symbolism associated with the animal, which suggests that Green is a trustworthy man. 

The strong use of diagonals in this piece aids in moving the viewer’s eye across the portrait. Beginning in the top right corner, the eye is pulled across Green’s face, down the length of the rifle, from right to left following the shadow along the grass, and back up to the top right corner again, following the diagonal created by the dog’s nose. This underlying design structure creates curiosity and interest for the viewer.

In creating this piece, Grafton pulled from earlier landscape styles as well as current artistic trends. The muted pastel colors in the sky, the rich warm tones of the autumn leaves, and the earthy shades of green in the foreground are reminiscent of earlier American landscapes like those of the Hudson River School. Though his style is more traditional than many of his contemporaries, Grafton’s choice to depict the rural Midwest in this portrait aligns with the subject matter of many Regionalists, whose artwork gained popularity in the 1930’s and early 40’s.

Location: Floor 2, North Wing, NE Caucus Room (not on public view)