‘In Rodgovin’s composition, we see the defeated English ship set afire and sinking in the foreground—its crew having surrendered and now prisoners aboard the Constitution with the American flag flying proudly. Massed clouds provide a dramatic backdrop. In this the painting is accurate, for its emotional impact proved crucial to public support for the war. Born in London, Rodvogin’s family immigrated to Hartford, CT in 1900. His parents ran a neighborhood grocery store while he drew pictures upstairs and studied with local artist T. J. Thurber. In 1923 Rodvogin received a scholarship to the Art Students League and moved to New York, returning home during the summers. “Then I’d be set for another winter of starvation in New York,” he later recalled (De Bona 111). Not a strong marketer of his own work, Rodvogin made ends meet by selling the occasionally photograph or painting, notably a Time magazine cover in 1932 of the French Prime Minister Pierre Laval. ...’ https://openvalley.org/item

#OTD in 1937
‘The Constitution and the Guerriere’ Harris (“Harry”) Rodvogin (1897-1998). Oil. #WPA #FederalArtProject 27 April 1937. New Deal Gallery, Genesee Valley Council on the Arts.
👉ALT
#AmericanArt #HarryRodvogin #navalbattle #USSConstitution #WarOf1812