Capturing the Real Ted Turner
How does a portrait painter successfully translate a likeness to canvas—especially when the sitter is someone larger than life, like media entrepreneur and environmentalist Ted Turner? Understanding the background and accomplishments of one’s subject is key, says Jon R. Friedman, whose painting of Turner is currently on view in the Portrait Gallery’s “Recent Acquisitions” exhibiton. And so is keeping an open mind. “Every portrait sitting is an adventure. Setting out to meet a client for the first time, I never really have any idea what to expect.”
High-profile clients like Turner cannot spare the time for numerous sittings, so Friedman bases his portraits on reference photographs of the sitter. Before the photo shoot he and the subject discuss the setting, wardrobe, dimensions, and orientation (horizontal or vertical) of the work. The unscripted photo session allows both artist and sitter to work out a pose that is both comfortable and conveys the sitter’s personality.
A typical shoot yields approximately one thousand digital images, which Friedman takes back to his studio. Friedman edits the images down to about thirty or forty, and uses these for reference when creating a series of sketches for the client’s consideration. Once the client has selected the pose and expression he prefers, Friedman generates a collage on the computer, using the preliminary study in the foreground and an assemblage of imagery in the background. This allows him to easily make changes until he and the client are satisfied. Only when the client approves the final composition does Friedman begin putting paint to canvas.
Friedman’s depiction of Turner, who founded CNN, built the Turner Broadcasting System empire, was a competitive yachtsman, and is an influential philanthropist, focuses on Turner’s more recent involvement with global issues, such as nuclear disarmament, global warming, renewable energy, and species and habitat preservation. And it fulfills the artist’s goal—“to capture some of his legendary brash and rough-hewn energy as well as the visionary and far-sighted dimension of his environmental activism.”
The final portrait radiates light and saturated color. Turner’s blue eyes are as bright as the Montana sky and make direct contact with the viewer. He towers over a field of bison in the middle ground and a sweeping, snow-covered mountain range at the horizon. This handsome cowboy, securely in the saddle, is lord of this domain. He exudes confidence and charisma. The upturned brim of his hat echoes the horns of the bull bison leading the herd—an unplanned feature of the work that ultimately delighted the artist.
Friedman, who was originally an abstract painter and sculptor, started making portraits in the 1990s and began earning commissions through serendipity and word of mouth (and, of course, skill). The Portrait Gallery now owns several of his works. The artist is gratified that they have a permanent home in “an art museum focused on narrating, examining, and illuminating the history of our country through the medium of the portrait.” Don’t miss the opportunity to see his powerful and convincing likeness of Ted Turner, which is on view through November 1, 2015.
- Amy Pastan, for the National Portrait Gallery
