Eleanor Roosevelt, the most beloved woman of the 20th century

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Eleanor Roosevelt     oil on linen, 20 x 16,   Collection of the artist*

 

  "In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility."    Eleanor Roosevelt 

 

Eleanor Roosevelt was a trial blazer!

 She was an unstoppable force, not only aiding and campaigning for her husband, President FDR, when he lost the use of his legs, but tirelessly working for the betterment of humanity, woman rights, racial justice and more, making her the most politically active and influential First Lady in American history.

 After FDR's death in 1945, President Truman named her U.S. Delegate to the United Nations. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, was primarily her work, and the delegates gave her a standing ovation for her contribution.

  At Eleanor's memorial service, diplomat Adlai Stevenson said: "She would rather light candles than curse the darkness, and her glow warmed the world"

 

I chose to portray Eleanor Roosevelt, viewed from the side looking upward as I felt that she was such a visionary that this pose conveys her inner vision and strength.

As usual, I begin my portraits with a oil paint block in, just to get a base of color down on the canvas, upon which I will build up layers of paint. At this point, I am not concerned with the likeness during these early stages, as with the building up of layers of paint the facial structure will begin to form and the features will fall into place.  

First day's block in for Eleanor's portrait.

 

 

 

Building up the paint layers and likeness.

 Finished  portrait

 Eleanor Roosevelt was inducted to the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1973.

 

To learn more about my  "A Tribute to American Women Leaders" project visit this post on my blog:

https://susandurkee.blogspot.com/2020/01/a-tribute-to-american-women-leaders.html

 

 For more information, to contact me or to see more of my portraiture, please visit my website:   www.susandurkee.com 

 Thank you for taking the time to read this honorary blog celebrating such an important American woman leader.

 

 
* Portrait of Eleanor Roosevelt based on a reference photograph by Lotte Johanna Alexandra Jacobi circa 1944