Eats 8 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan. Every weekend, book tv brings you 48 hours of nonfiction books and authors. Heres whats coming up this weekend. Saturday at 5 45 p. M. Eastern, photographer Matthew Christopher tells the stories behind his series of photos of abandoned schools, factories, zoos and Beach Front Properties across the u. S. Abandoned america, dismantling the dream. At 8 00 p. M. Joseph book talks about his book, my father and attius finch. About 1930s alabama. He spoke at the 28th southern festival of books in nashville. At 10 00 p. M. , professor ellen silvergeld looks at farming methods and technology and the impact on the environment and workers on her latest book chickenizing farms and food how industrial meat production endangers workers, animals and consumers. Professor silvergeld is interviewed by former u. S. Secretary of agriculture dan glickman. Most people in america havent really been on a farm. Maybe they go to the county fair but they dont know what it is to be a farmer. Which is an romance. So there is this kind of p romantic view of agriculture which i find skas pi race t rating, because it makes it impossible to think about agriculture clearly. Sunday at 11 00 a. M. , fox news anchor megyn kelly talks about her life and career as a journalist, in her book settle for more. She spoke with catty kay. James rosen and christopher buckley, son of late william f. Buckley discuss their book a torch kept lit great lives of the 20th century which examines essays on famous figurers written by christopher buckleys father. Executi exec editor the national review. Then at 6 15 p. M. , lydia b benjamin looks at the u. S. And saudi arabia and in her book kingdom of the unjust. Go to baooktv. Org for a complet schedule. Now arms and artists. The revolution through painters eyes talks about the lives and works of five american artist of the revolutionary period. The Fraunces Tavern museum hosts this hourlong event. We are delighted to have paul steady presenting of arms and artist, American Revolution through painters eyees. Paul teach eats mount holo college and is the auj our of sell ral books and esrays on american artists. He is a curator of the fine arts in boston. He is a twotime senior fellow at the met. Paul has spoken internationally on the intersection of american art and history. And with that, i would like to welcome paul. [ applause ] thank you very much. Its a pleasure to be here this evening. I want to thank my hosts here at the tavern. And i want to thank my publicshr who is represented here, tara kennedy, for publishing this book of arms and artists. This is the book here. It is a hybrid book in the sense that it atepts to dotempts to d of things at the same time. It meant to be read by anybody. Anyone interested in 18th century america. Anyone interested in founding. Anyone interested in the revolution. I think you would find things many things in here that would be a bit of, quite a bit aftof revelation to you. This is an aspect of that era that hadnt been previously treated. At the same time i had been intending to appeal to professional historians. They might learn a few things from this. And my colleagues in art history might learn a lot from the books as well. I like to think of this as my effort to execute a triple steal since the world series was on last night, a triple steal. I may be out at all three bases but i would be happy with a double steal or single steal here. Last successful strip el steal was by the Cleveland Indians of 2008. Trip el steal was by the Cleveland Indians of 2008. El steal was by the Cleveland Indians of 2008. This is a book about five artist. But equally, it is a book about George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and john adams. John adams and John Singleton coply, the two family webs they became the best of friend. Trumbull, john trumbull, lived with Thomas Jefferson in paris at the American Embassy in paris. Trumbull was privy to the most aspects of jeffsons life. He became a gobetween in jeffersons wild romantic pursuit of maria causeway, an artist in paris at the time. Trumbull delivered letters between them. Showing tremendous discretion. Their lives were utterly wrapped up in the event of the revolution. Charles wilson fought, he was in a militia company. From philadelphia. He was on the banks of the delaware with washington. With his musket and his painting kit. John trumbull is the son of the governor of connecticut. And he watched from a distance the fire bombing and burning of charlestown at battle of bunker hill. He became washingtons aid. He was friends with all of these people. And so its all those stories woven together within the book. And that was the fun of really writing it. So whats the book about, youre wondering. And im going to mention four principles or four Building Blocks of this book. And if you read the book, if you, you know, go through the book of arms and artist from front to back, youre never going to hear me say oh, heres Building Block number 2. Its all kind of buried in there. But there is what was on my mind when i was researching and writing the book. And the fir thing is kind of the obvious thing. Which was that i propose that works of art were essential to the founding of the United States. Thats actually quite a bold statement. But ill explain why i think they are utterly important. And thats big one. Ill give you a couple of examples and maybe for starters i take to you Independence Hall which was known then as the state house that didnt become known as Independence Hall until later and they Common Wealth of pennsylvania commissioned the artist Charles Wilson peel sorry, moving this in the right position. Artist Charles Wilson peel to mant a picture for Independence Hall for the state of pennsylvania in 1779. And here in fact is this picture which is an eightfoot tall painting, big impressive painting showing George Washington after the battle of princeton which was fought early in 1777. Not long after a few days, after the passage of the delaware river. The crossing of the delaware. And this is what this state of pennsylvania, this was the commission for the work of art and in the bad position here it read it but i think i have a copy of it. And where is the wisest freest and bravest in the most virtuous times of endeavor to those who have rendered the country distinguished services by preserving their resemblances and statues and painting et cetera, et cetera. We wish po place in the council chamber, not only as a mark of the Great Respect which we bear it him but that contemplation may excite others to tread m the same glorious steps that lead to happiness and private honor. There are a couple things about that that are quite remarkable. That the freest wisest and bravest nations such as the brandnew freshly minted United States, now wishing to follow in the foot steps of all great nations before it, feels an obligation to commemorate and have portraits painted of important individuals such as washington. So thats rather remarkable. The second thing about it i think that is important, is that the contemplation of the picture may excite others to tread in the same glorious steps. That is that it will inspire imu la im u lags, just one look, seeing washington, a man of wealth and standing was willing to do to sacrifice, to do whatever was necessary that this will inspire others to join the war effort. When this picture was painted, the war is on, so maybe it will stimulate others to follow as well. So works of art as inspiring as motivational. So it was an important picture in that regard. Lets Flash Forward two years. This is painted in 79. Lets Flash Forward to september 9th, 1781. The british are losing at yorktown. There is no future. There is no hope for the british. Surrender is imminent and everybody understands that the surrender at yorktown is essentially the end of the war. Everybody knows this and they know this in london perfectly well too. On september 9th, a group of loyalists broke into independent hall and slashed Charles Wilson peels picture with the knife. They shredded the head and face. That is, it had so much symbolic importance as to draw defacement of an image. They could least wipe that smile off of his face. They could at least slash the values represented in the picture. They could turn Something Like this, something attractive like this into something repulsive. So works of art were that incendiary at the time. In 176 th9, before the resoluti of the stamp act and towns end acts, some radical activists went into a building in cambridge and they walked up to John Singleton coplys portrait of the british governor of massachusetts and they cut the heart area out of the portrait. Leaving a hole. Coply is tuned. He is called in. Calleded upon to repair it. Newspapers say as great as artist as coply might be, it could be impossible for him to restore a heart to the heartless governor barnard. So again, destroying a work of art as a political statement. And of course most famous one which is like what a stones throw away from here, summer of 1776, washington is marching through here and heading uptown. And the british have invaded and his soldiers are demoralized and camped near where city hall is today. And washington is delivered a copy of the declaration of independence. He has it read to the troops and upon that, that moment then, they spontaneously, not by order, but by spontaneously, come down here to Bowling Green and lash ropes around a huge equestrian statue of george iii. They drag it down to the ground. They drag it through the street. And then, they melt down the led, led covered in gold. They melt down the led in order to make musket balls so that they can kill the british. So again, a work of art. Thats what it was. A work of art. And the political statements that were made around it, works of art matter. There are statements of political belief at a time when statements immediated to be made and when statements were made. Okay, lets go back to this statute, the statute of this painting for a second here. This is not there was another painting originally intended to hang in the state house in Independence Hall before the revolution began. And never quite made it there. But if you went to any of the colonial capitals of america you would find one of the endless numbers of copies of this portrait hanging in all of the colonial capitals. And what would you see and with a is intended for Independence Hall is the picture you see on the right, which is the equestrian the coronation portrait of king george iii. Thats what was intended for him Independence Hall. Look tagt on the left is what eventually gets hung in Independence Hall. And can you see the similarities . Between the two pictures . Right, the kind of pose. Weight heavily on one leg, pretty much off of the other. Granted the lightweight leg is doing Different Things in the two men. Which tosses the body to one side. The body is dressed by the sitters left arm which is resting on either the barrel of a cannon or on a table and then the right arm is up on the hip docking the elbow outward in a pose that would be called akimbo. They are remarkably similar in that regard. Why is that . Because Charles Wilson peel studied art in london in the 1760s before the war. And would he have seen, not this one specifically, but the artist alan ramsay made these like, you know, he and his studio were making these all the time. And so thats the point of similarity. Yet id say that peel has transformed it into a revolutionary portrait. Because washington is so different from george iii and in the Charles Wilson peel portrait. I find him to be approachable. George iii, you dont ever look george iii in the eye. So hes always he can be looked at but he doesnt make eye contact. But George Washington eye to eye, facetoface, here. Approachable. Understated. I like it use the word benevolent. A little bit awkward. Very direct. Confident. And calm after a brutal battle. Prince top battle was awful. It was fought in early january. The fields were covered with ice. There were many injured. Many killed. There are stories about how the blood froze on the ice and what you saw was a red field. Of course you do not see that in this picture. And ill come back to the reasons for that in just a moment. So he has painted this picture with the idea that hes going to more or less say that this is a new day in the history of north america. And he has condensed the new order of rule into this picture. The first great public portrait in america in the out. This one. Full of the values and principles of the new American Republic. Washington versus george wisconsin iii, clear cut difference between the two men. Difference on the left between america and britain. Difference between a republic and a monarchy. Difference between today and yesterday. So there it all is in a quick look. Anybody looking at this in 1779 or afterwards would immediately grasp the import of it all. And thats the revolutionary aspect of that particular pain. Okay. Second, Building Block in arms of artists, the United States desperately needed pictures, images, things like this. Not just by Charles Wilson peel but by all these artist. This was a complicated moment during the revolution and after the revolution transformative. Compelling. Captivating. Confusing. Frightening. Utterly imcomprehensionible. Not being able to understand whats happening. While its happening. Or what it is going to lead to. Certain things were clear. British rule was over. British images. British rituals. British kings. British governors. All of british history were instantly offensive and completely obsolete. So goodbye to all of that. And now what was required were american images, american rituals, american heroes. American history. Even though the history is, you know, 15 minutes long. And especially in a new country, that is not united. Fractured into state with local identities. New yorkers thought of themselves first and foremost as new yorkers, not as oh, im a citizen of the United States, whatever that is. Same thing with south carolynians or georgians or anything from a or virginia or you name it. Their identities are local. Now they are being asked to become citizens of a greater entity. And how do they how are they persuaded by that . How are they persuaded after new National Identity for themselves . And i think this is a task that would face any kind of what i tell my student, any sort of a microwave nation. Microwave like, well, you know, you pop it in, press a few buttons, hit declaration of independence. You hit warfare. And so on, constitution. You pop it out and here it is. But what is it, exactly . So how do people come to understand this . How do they find Common Ground amongst themselves . Across the thousand miles of atlanta coastline. And this is where i think the artists come in. In short order chaz wilson peel paints, were not sure exactly, somewhere between 17 and 24 of these full length portraits of washington. They paappear in state capitols now. One of them is sent to Thomas Jefferson in paris to hang in the American Embassy. Perfect. Another copy is sent to king louies xvi. The french are writing the checks for the American Revolution. Theyve sent soldiers, sent the navy. They are writing checks. You imagine this picture showing up with in front of lou exvi as if so say things are going very well here, as you can see. We are confident, calm, no problem. Write checks. Gilbert stewart i want washington on the right more than a hundred times over the course of 30 years. And pictures other artist copy his pictures and ill say more about this in a minute. They go on and on and on. They appear everywhere. In other words these works of art become objects of national faith. Believe in them. Believe in the people that you see in them. In this case, washington, who is the glue of the nation. But in order to understand that in south carolina, in order to understand that in new hampshire, youve got to see something. Youre not going to see him in person. Something has to occur. The third Building Block of the book, of art and artist, is that im thinking that these works of art were and are, and still are, to america what the illiad and aniad were to the ancient greeks and ancient proromanians. In this works, check out the gallery in the next room, these are latter day versions of the same thing. But these are the found diegsal stories of the out told over and over again. Seeing over and over again full of heroes. The difference being is that you can never be sure in reading mythology or reading homer or hearing about scandinavian mythology where whether any of it was remotely true or any of the characters ever actually existed. But in the United States, they did. Flesh and blood. Events actually occurred. There were accounts of it all. There was something palpable about the Foundation Stories that we experienced back then and we stil