The country's leading Civil War historical artist will visit the Springfield Armory on Saturday.
"Altoona Pass" by artist Don Troiani, who will speak at the Springfield Armory National Historic Site on Saturday afternoon. Don Troiani’s vivid and colorful artistic renderings of the Civil War from the battlefield to the camp are as lifelike and true-to-form of the times as if he had captured the moment in photograph instead of paint and canvas.
On Saturday at the Springfield Armory National Historic Site, the country’s leading Civil War historical artist will put a new face on the war between the North and South through his paintings filled with drama and detail, but even more importantly, historical accuracy.
The free program, set for 1:30 p.m., will also feature Springfield park ranger Richard Colton, whose knowledge of the Civil War period and its weaponry will enhance Troiani’s presentation.
“I have been aware of Don Troiani’s work for as long as I have been in the Park Service and find his paintings of the Civil War era to be both technically good and equally dramatic,” said Colton, who also serves as park historian at the Springfield Armory National Historical Site.
“His paintings, which derive their authenticity from years of research, can be seen as historical narratives which serve as a bridge between concrete objects which cannot speak for themselves and the abstract world as they seek to create the memory of an event,” he added.
Born in New York City in 1949 – the son of an accomplished commercial artist and a successful antiques dealer – Troiani developed an interest in the past and the importance of a visual understanding of history. He was well on his way to his calling by the time he started perfecting his skills at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and New York City’s Art Students League.”You can look at a picture of an artifact for days and still not know it. But examining it in your own hands reveals its texture, its substance and how it works,” said Troiani.
“It is certainly a valid subject for an artist to pursue as long as it is approached in a thoughtful and thorough way. There has been too much distortion over the years. I believe the more accurate the presentation is, the clearer our image will be of our heritage. It is a far better way to honor our ancestors,” he added about his work.
A researcher in his own right, Troiani works from a personal military library and is assisted in his research by a network of collectors, historians and curators who readily give him access their own collections and archives.
As an historian, Colton said he finds the Civil War compelling because “it is essential to our national understanding, yet so widely misunderstood.”
“Despite the fact that today we have many more recent conflicts that have been resolve on the battlefield, people still talk about the Civic War, making one wonder if the issues of the Civil War are resolved or not,” said Colton.
For more information, call (413) 734-8551.