Description
The painting The Skater, also known as “The Skater George Washington,” by Gilbert Stuart, is known as one of the most iconic and popular works of art in the history of the United States. The painting shows George Washington, the first president of the United States, ice-skating on the Delaware River during the winter of 1776.
What is interesting about this painting is that, although it has become a patriotic symbol in the United States, it is actually a fictional portrait. Stuart never saw Washington ice-skating, and the scene is, in fact, an artistic invention. Stuart created the painting in 1817, many years after Washington’s death, and used his famous portrait of Washington as a model for the figure on the ice.
No painting announces Gilbert Stuart’s coming of age as a portraitist quite like this one. Stuart exhibited this painting at the 1782 exhibition of the Royal Academy of Art, demonstrating his artistic maturity through its quality.
The Skater ranks No. 72 on the list of famous paintings