Ned Bittinger | |
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 Bittinger in 2002 | |
| Born | (1951-07-04)July 4, 1951 (age 74)[1] Washington, D.C., United States |
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| Children | 1 |
Edmund Stuart Bittinger (born July 4, 1951), better known byNed Bittinger,[2] is an Americanportrait painter andillustrator who is known for his paintings of prominent American figures. His notable works include the congressional portraits ofAbraham Lincoln andLindy Boggs for theUnited States Capitol, as well asSecretaries of StateJames Baker andLawrence Eagleburger's officialState Department portraits. He has also painted official portraits ofHenry Kissinger,John Mica, andJon Corzine, among others.
Bittinger made his debut as an illustrator in 1995 with thePassover Sedar fiction children's bookThe Matzah That Papa Brought Home, which was met with critical acclaim and became anAmerican Library AssociationNotable Children's Book and a Notable Book for Younger Readers from theSydney Taylor Book Award. He later illustratedThe Blue and the Gray (1996)andRocking Horse Christmas (1997), both of which received positive reviews from critics. In 2002, he illustrated his latest book,When the Root Children Wake Up, which is a retelling ofSibylle Von Olfers' book,The Root Children, originally published in 1906.
Ned Bittinger was born in 1951 in Washington, D.C. He started painting and drawing in the third grade. When he was age thirteen, his parents sent him to theCorcoran School of the Arts and Design of Washington, D.C.[3] He attendedLandon School in Bethesda, Maryland.
He left to attendDenison University in Ohio, where he received aBachelor of Fine Arts.[4] In an interview in 2017, Bittinger stated that he originally got an F grade in painting at Denison University.[5]
After graduating, Bittinger briefly got a job at a commercial arts studio.[5] He also began to practiceTranscendental Meditation and would become a teacher of the technique.[3] At age 28, he earned hisMaster of Fine Arts degree from theCorcoran School of the Arts and Design atGeorge Washington University.[4][6][5]
Bittinger has received awards and participated in many exhibitions, including an exhibition at theTretyakov Gallery inMoscow from 1990 to 1991.[7] Bittinger painted two portraits for the 1994 movieGuarding Tess, one ofShirley Maclaine and the other of her husband in the movie. In 2017 Bittinger estimated that he had painted between 400 and 500 portraits.[5]
In 2004, theUS House of Representatives commissioned Bittinger to paint the official portrait ofAbraham Lincoln. Thepainting depicts Lincoln at a young age from when he served in the House of Representatives from 1847 to 1849. Ned Bittinger worked from photographs of Lincoln's time in Congress as well as historic images of the House Chamber. The setting includes theJohn Vanderlyn portrait ofGeorge Washington, furniture designed by Thomas Constantine, and many details of the House Chamber's appearance in the 1840s, including the red drapery. Lincoln is depicted sitting at his desk in the old Hall of the House, now calledNational Statuary Hall. The painting is part of a series of 21st-century portraits depicting noteworthy former members of Congress commissioned by the House of Representatives.[8]
The painting has been featured in many articles including onCracked.com andThe Imaginative Conservative.[9][10]
On September 27, 2004, the portrait ofLindy Boggs was unveiled at the Capitol. The portrait includes a small replica of the Car of History clock which has been present in theOld House Chamber since 1819. This clock was included to show Bogg's love for history and commemorate the Commission of the United States House of Representatives Bicentenary, which she chaired.[11] The portrait hangs in the Lindy Claiborne Boggs Congressional Women's Reading Room in theUS Capitol adjacent toStatuary Hall.[12]
In 2005, Bittinger was commissioned the paint a portrait ofHenry Kissinger asChancellor for theCollege of William and Mary. "They usher me in, and he looks at me 'who are you' and I say I'm here to paint your portrait, and then I had to pull out this midlevel garb." The portrait Depicts Kissinger with his Chancellor robes and chain. Kissinger reportedly objected to using the hat and asked Bittinger to not include it. Bittinger spent the day in Kissinger's office sketching him from life.[5][13]
In a 2017 interview, Bittinger stated that he had also painted Kissinger's dogs at Kissinger's home inConnecticut.[5]
In 2017, theOhio Statehouse commissioned seven speakers' portraits with three painted by Bittinger, three byDaniel Greene, and one by Leslie Adams. The portraits were unveiled in a ceremony in the Ohio Statehouse Rotunda on May 23, 2017. “The seven portraits broaden the scope and artistic diversity of the Ohio Statehouse’s art collection instantly. These works of art will inspire and educate future leaders of Ohio for generations to come,” said The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board executive director, Laura Battocletti.[14]
Bittinger first became interested in illustrating children's books after reading an article aboutChris Van Allsburg. He then wrote and illustrated a children's book and sent it to two publishers. Both of the publishers liked his illustrations but did not like the story. It took a year before Bittinger got a call fromScholastic to illustrateThe Matzah that Papa Brought Home written byFran Manushkin.[15] The book was well received by critics and received a starred review fromPublishers Weekly.[16][17] The book ended up selling over 50 thousand copies[18] and became anAmerican Library AssociationNotable Children's Book and Notable Book for Younger Readers from theSydney Taylor Book Award.[19][20] An article in Albemarle Magazine stated that Manushkin was at first unhappy with his first set of paintings Bittinger created because of his lack of originality. Bittinger painted a second set of paintings for the book spending months on the project, and making a plaster cast of the father in the story so he could make a more accurate profile.[15]
In 1997 Bittinger illustratedRocking Horse Christmas written byMary Pope Osborne, which had a positive reaction from the critics.[21] He spent six months on preliminary drawings and then the paintings for the book.[15] He has also illustratedWhen the Root Children Wake Up, a retelling ofSibylle Von Olfers' book,The Root Children, originally published in 1906;[22] andThe Blue and the Gray written byEve Bunting which received the "Hoosier Young Readers' Award" from the children of Indiana and the "Teachers' Choice Award" from The International Readers Association.[20][23]
Upon release,When the Root Children Wake Up (2002), written byAudrey Wood, received mixed reviews withPublishers Weekly criticizing Wood's words calling them "slightly forced" while also calling Bittinger's illustrations "a laudable effort, but one that's ultimately less than the sum of its parts."[24]Kirkus Reviews called both the words and images "quite charming", while also pointing out the difference between Wood's story and the original by Olfers, "Wood’s tale changes the Root Children’s activities from work to play—not a bad thing, but a definite difference."[22]
Bittinger and his wife at the time, Mary, moved out of D.C. toRappahannock County, Virginia.[4] They later divorced and Bittinger moved out west. In a 2017 interview, he explained "It was a neighbor across the street who said, 'Why don't you move toTaos' and I said what the hell is Taos." Bittinger instead decided to move toSanta Fe where he has remained. In the same interview, he stated he has an 11-year-old son.[5]
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