On desperate seas

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This is Flexner's portrait of Gilbert Stuart, painter of George Washington and other founding fathers, who once shied away from a self-portrait he had begun to please his bride. Flexner presents us with a portrait such as the artist himself would have constructed it: frank, without flattery, profound, and soul-stirring. Born in poverty in Rhode Island, Stuart became through his art the intimate of the great of two continents. Yet he never abandoned his disdain for worldly rank, or his fascination with character. He made huge sums in England, but spent even more in dissipation. Prison yawned for him, and he fled his creditors. During the thirty-five American years he painted with brilliance, creating a unique portrait manner. His rank as an artist was never questioned, but his nerves would not quiet. He drank, fought with his wife, and tormented his children. He died as he had lived: famous and bankrupt.