A Woman Ahead of Her Time

Eleanor Roosevelt Stage One

I love to paint.   I may have mentioned that already?    I am in the middle of executing a series of Ireland landscapes so I decided to break it up with a portrait, my favorite genre presently.

I have been watching for interesting people whom I would like to paint.  One influential and historical person recently caught my eye, because visually in this picture, she looks very similar to my mother.   The similarity has more to do with the pose than actual features.  Resting her face on her fingers, Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 - 1962) looks pensive as she conducts a radio show segment.

Eleanor Roosevelt was a remarkable woman for many reasons.  She was the longest serving first lady of the US, the four terms of President Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1933 to 1945.

Although the Roosevelts' marriage was complicated by family interference (they were actually cousins), and Franklin's alleged extra-marital affair, the turmoil did not deter Eleanor from seeking a public life of her own.  She persuaded Franklin to stay in politics following his partial paralysis from polio.  She began to give speeches and campaign in his place.   

She was the first presidential spouse to hold press conferences, write a syndicated newspaper column, and speak at a national convention.  She even publicly disagreed with her husband's policies on occasion and many thought she was too controversial in her outspokenness.  She advocated for expanded roles for women in the workplace, civil rights for African Americans and Asian Americans, and World War II refugees.

Following her husband's death, Eleanor remained active in politics.   She advocated for US involvement and support to the United Nations and was one of its first delegates.   She served as the first chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights, and oversaw the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.   She chaired the John F. Kennedy Presidential Commission on the Status of Women.   By her death, she was regarded as "one of the most esteemed women in the world" and "the object of almost universal respect."  

Eleanor Roosevelt Stage Two

I began with a canvas freshly toned with flesh color.  I used a dark transparent combination of brown oxide and sap green to sketch her features in paint.   I verified my measurements by turning the photo reference and the canvas on their sides, and upside-down.  Flaws in the drawing seem to jump out when viewing the work repositioned like this.  Once I was satisfied with the accuracy of the drawing, I filled in the deepest values with the same dark color.  I then used a soft paper towel to wipe out for the hightlights.  This technique works well for fleshtones because the edges remain soft.   There is a relatively small amount of detail but I think the face is recognizable.

*Text source: Wikipedia.  Photo source: US Government Website open source.