Amidst the recent political debates we've been watching, we're reminded of a politician whose very contribution to American history remains under debate.
The talented Daniel Baxter was recently commissioned by Marianne Nelson, the art director for
Princeton Alumni Weekly, to create imagery for an article about Aaron Burr. Baxter decided to create a mirror-image portrait of Aaron Burr to convey his dueling legacies: as a treasonous lunatic and as a rational modernist. Daniel's creative thinking developed through several sketches, which we are happy to share with you below!
For the American history lovers out there: Aaron Burr was vice president to Thomas Jefferson between 1801 and 1805. He lives in infamy for killing Alexander Hamilton in a duel--an event that several artists have
riffed on in recent years. He was also put on
trial for conspiring to invade and take over Mexico. But Burr had redemptive qualities as well: he was a feminist, a
rationalist, and a supporter of manumission (the act of a slave owner
freeing his slaves); he also perfected many campaign techniques which
are utilized in modern politics. So, as our artist Daniel Baxter illustrates, should we really continue to demonize this complicated man?
 |
| Final layout for "American Lucifer" article |
 |
| Sketch #1: Mirror images of Aaron Burr, portrayed as devil and angel |
 |
| Sketch #2" Straight-on portrait of Burr with relevant elements of his story |
 |
| Sketch #3: Overlapping contradictory portraits of Burr |
 |
| Sketch #4: Burr looking in a mirror as devil, reflecting as angel |
Amidst the recent political debates we've been watching, we're reminded of a politician whose very contribution to American history remains under debate. 
No comments:
Post a Comment